With the start of the 2024 Leagues Cup drawing closer, this weekend’s domestic action will be the final round of fixtures until late August.
William GittinsWillGittUpdate: Jul 20th, 2024 15:21 EDT0
Scott RovakUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
One final round of MLS fixtures will be played on Saturday before the domestic schedule gives way to the Leagues Cup, the month-long tournament revamped in 2023. We’re approaching the end of the regular season and there’s plenty to play for with a real battle at the top of both Conferences.
All the games will be streamed on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, with certain games available for free without a subscription. This weekend there’s a duo of free fixtures: the ‘Soccer Capital Derby’ between Sporting Kansas City and St. Louis City, and the meeting of Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy and in-form Portland Timbers.
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— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 20, 2024
What is the origin of the Soccer Capital Derby?
Sporting KC and St. Louis have only met six times in competitive fixtures but there’s already plenty of history between the two Midwestern teams. St. Louis played this debut MLS season last year but, prior to the first meeting, tensions were already high between the two teams.
There was a legal battle between the St. Louis-supporting creators of the ‘Soccer Capitol Podcast’ due to a trademark claim from Sporting KC, who hold the rights to the name ‘The Soccer Capital of America’. Soccer in the region is said to date back to the late 1800s and boasts some of the oldest organised leagues in the country.
Kansas City had been chosen as one of MLS’s original founding teams but St. Louis had to wait until 2023 to see their city represented in the league. They enjoyed a historic debut season, winning the Western Conference, but they suffered a shock elimination in the first round of the playoffs. They were beaten by eighth-placed Sporting Kansas City.
When does Leagues Cup start?
Last year saw Inter Miami, inspired by the arrival of Lionel Messi, win a historic first-ever trophy. Messi scored ten goals in seven games to drag Miami to the title and cap a stunning first month with the team.
