Liga MX establishes the Minor Participation Table as one of its main rules

With a view to the growth of Mexican soccer, the Liga MX has established the Minor Participation Table as one of its main rules

The Liga MX has once again implemented the Minor Participation Table rule for the Apertura 2024 season, aiming to foster the growth of Mexican soccer. This rule mandates that teams field footballers from the 2005 to 2001 categories for a specific percentage of minutes played.

The rule dictates that each team must have at least 1000 minutes on the field among minor footballers, with the percentages allocated as follows: Category 2001 20%, Category 2002 40%, Category 2003 60%, Category 2004 80% and the 2005 Category 100% of this count.

Among the teams that have excelled in fulfilling this requirement is Pachuca, which has consistently played with its youth academy players for at least two past seasons. Pachuca boasts one of the best youth systems in Mexico, and despite their struggles in the championship (currently sitting at position 15 with only 9 points), they have notably adhered to the rule.

As of Matchday 11 in the championship, Pachuca has accumulated 2,709 minutes in the minor category, followed by Santos, Necaxa, Chivas and Tijuana. These five teams are the only ones that have met the規定 to field players from the specified categories for at least 1,000 minutes.

On the other hand, some teams at the top of the table, such as Cruz Azul, Tigres and Toluca, respectively, have predominantly relied on foreign players with proven experience, a strategy that has contributed to their current standings. However, with 6 rounds remaining in the Apertura 2024, these teams may encounter difficulties in fulfilling the minor participation requirement.

The Celeste Machine could potentially be exempt from fully complying with this item as Amaury Morales and Mateo Levy were called up by Mexico for the CONCACAF Under-20 World Cup. This automatically grants them an additional 360 minutes each once they reach the 180 minutes played mark, considering that they participated in days 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this Apertura 2024 during the tournament. This would give Cruz Azul the automatic pass to fulfill the requirement.

Teams Accumulated minutes Minutes to complete

Pachuca 2996.2 Complied

Santos 1899.2 Complied

Necaxa 1681.2 Complied

Chivas 1415.8 Complied

Tijuana 1178.2 Complied

Atlético San Luis 964.8 35.2

Puebla 939.4 60.6

Mazatlan 864.8 135.2

Pumas 804.2 195.8

Juarez 780 220

Toluca 712.8 287.2

León 645.8 354.2

America 638.4 361.6

Atlas 613.6 386.4

Queretaro 596 404

Tigers 498.6 501.4

Blue Cross 405.8 594.2

387.4 612.6