Ulaanbaatar City Win 2019 Premier League, End Erchim's Dominance

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On 27 October the 2019 Mongolian Premier League season concluded. It came down to the final matchday as perennial champions Erchim FC and emerging super club Ulaanbaatar City were neck-and-neck for the title. At the end of the day, Ulaanbaatar City were crowned champions with single-point advantage over Erchim, snapping the team from Power Plant #4's four-years at the top of the table.

Surely there will be some grumbling in the Erchim locker room following the conclusion of the season. After matchday 18, the team sat alone at the top of the table. In previous years, this would have seen the club record it's seventh championship in the last eight seasons. However, this year the Premier League included an additional four-match playoff series in which Ulaanbaatar City was able to squeak past Erchim.

This year's season also included a four-match relegation playoff, but it amounted to nothing as the same two teams occupied the bottom two spots as they did at the end of the regular season. Khaan Khuns Titem and Khoromkhon should be back in the 1st League next season after earning only eight and six points over the 22-match season, respectively.

It is an exciting time for Ulaanbaatar City as the club will participate in continental football in the AFC Cup for the first time in 2020 and its new stadium, the G-Mobile Arena, nears completion.

As always, individual honors were also presented following the final match. Below are the winners:

Best Goalkeeper: Ariunbold Batsaikhan (Erchim FC)

Best Defender: Norjmoo Tsebendal (Ulaanbaatar City)

Best Midfielder: Andrei Ryachenko (Khangarid FC)

Golden Boot: David Saviola, 34 goals (SP Falcons)

Fair Play: Khaan Khuns Titem

More honours will be awarded next month at the annual Golden Ball Awards on 12 December.