The tournament pits MLS teams against their Liga MX counterparts – who comes out on top, the US or Mexico?
Andy HallUpdate: Aug 18th, 2023 14:21 EDT
Ethan MillerAFP
The Leagues Cup is a relatively new tournament which features teams from Major League Soccer and Liga MX competing against each other with the winners qualifying directly for the CONCACAF Champions Cup – one of the routes to the FIFA Club World Cup.
The competition has undergone numerous format changes and modifications since the inaugural edition in July 2019 which included just four teams from each league (Liga MX: América, Cruz Azul, Tijuana and Tigres – MLS: Chicago Fire, LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake) and based on a single-game knockout format.
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Cruz Azul were the first team to lift the trophy, beating Atlas 2-1 in an all-Mexican final at Sam Boyd stadium in Nevada.
The following year’s tournament, the second edition, was expanded to include 16 teams – eight from MLS and eight from the Liga MX with all teams qualifying based on their league positions. It was due to take place from 21 July to 16 September 2020 but was eventually cancelled as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2021 edition was also affected by the pandemic and the decision taken to halve the number of participating teams from 16 to eight. This time the final was a direct contest between teams from both leagues, and the Liga MX made it 2-0 in the series as León beat Seattle Sounders 2-3 with late goals from Ángel Mena and Emmanuel Gigliotti.
¡CAMPEÓN DE LEAGUES CUP! 🏆#LaFieraxFOX remontó y se quedó con el título en Las Vegas León venció 3-2 al Seattle Sounders con goles de Ángel Mena (2) y Emmanuel Gigliotti Primer título internacional ✅#CentralFOX pic.twitter.com/rwKrQldlV8
— FOX Sports MX (@FOXSportsMX) September 23, 2021
There was further disruption for the 2022 edition – this time due to the crammed fixtures list affecting all of the major leagues to accommodate the World Cup in Qatar. The competition still went ahead but as a series of friendlies under the banner: the Leagues Cup Showcase. Three Liga MX teams (América, Atlas and Chivas) were joined by five MLS sides (Cincinnati, LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Nashville SC and LAFC) for five games played in four host cities. Although there was no champion in 2022, the MLS teams fared better with three wins over their neighbours.
Durante más de 20 días nos has acompañado a través de más de 10 mil kilómetros y hemos pintado USA de Azul y Blanco.Aún nos queda un partido que disputar y muchos retos por superar.Ayer, hoy y siempre… ¡Arriba el Monterrey!💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/19bCkPEZVT
— Rayados (@Rayados) August 16, 2023
