When Major League Soccer created the Leagues Cup tournament, I thought it was just another version of the first attempt called SuperLiga. I also believed it wouldn't succeed like the older version did. Then, out of nowhere, CONCACAF got involved and threw in three caveats for extra bids to the newly expanded Champions Cup.
After one season of this new Leagues Cup, MLS is already touting it as the best thing since the game was created. Even though I had my concerns about this tournament and hoped it would coexist with the Open Cup, we have already seen that would not be the case, and now MLS for the 2024 edition has shortened their first division teams entering the competition from twenty-six to eight.
But now MLS has created a new branding to entice all MLS and Liga MX fans. They want to tie it to the greatest footballing tournament coming to our part of the world in over two years, the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here is what they wrote for all of you to get into the 2024 edition of their Leagues Cup.
“More than Soccer. This is Leagues Cup.” embraces the rich cultures and histories of MLS and LIGA MX, blending innovation and tradition to create a one-of-a-kind soccer experience. Rooted in three core values—Unity Off the Pitch, Rivalry on the Pitch, and Audacity Everywhere —Leagues Cup underscores the heritage of North American soccer during a pivotal time for the sport on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
By celebrating the unity among soccer communities and igniting intense rivalries on the field, Leagues Cup will captivate fans and highlight the best of both leagues.
Once again, all Liga MX clubs will be the vagabonds of this tournament when none of them will host these matches in Mexico. Fly across two countries, depending on if the Canadian MLS teams will make a run, and why are we normalizing this and going against the grain? What Unity will there be off the pitch? These are rivalry games that should matter on the International stage of legitimate tournaments like the Champions Cup, not the Leagues Cup interfering with the natural order of how our regular seasons are performing and taking out a chunk of the calendar to allow this farce to play.
This is one of the reasons why the majority of the American soccer community is not happy with how MLS has all of a sudden thrown out over 100 plus years of history and tradition in the Open Cup so they can insert this travesty of a tournament and say this is the new shiny piece of silverware that means a lot more in their eyes than ours. Trying to sneak in the World Cup coming over to make this tournament more legitimate is just laughable.
I have always hoped that somewhere down the line, there would be a form a League Cup tournament involving all the pro leagues in the USA like the EFL Cup does in England, not now, but sometime in the future, but all MLS wants to do is have this Leagues Cup with Liga MX and not share with anyone else, or what if the next edition comes in and are looking to have clubs from outside both the USA And Mexico joins in? Then that's FIFA interference, and the Club World Cup will be in jeopardy.
You know as well as I do there are many levels involving the sport to govern in many ways, league-wide, nation-wide, confederation-wide, and globally; if MLS and those in Europe who are hoping for a Super League do come to fruition, then the entire game will fall apart. That's why MLS is flexing its muscles because they're doing what the other Major Sports Leagues in North America do. They are running the sport, not the governing body of their respective games.
This is why I have tried to inform all of you on my live-streaming American Soccer Show to be patient. Because while the game is growing, we are still behind in certain areas. Not too far behind, but right now we need more infrastructure to put the game into a better situation. We have the players, we have the coaches, we have the respect, but we need more stadiums built to make the sport where it truly needs to be.
Sadly, this Leagues Cup has become a real threat and a detriment to our game. Outside of MLS, it doesn't help at all. It will all go to the first-division leagues of the USA, Mexico, and no one else. That's not what this sport was supposed to be about. Yes, money does make the world go round, but it shouldn't be the only reason this game needs to work. It's just a sad day to claim this Leagues Cup means more than the Open Cup and MLS will do anything to claim it.
One wonders if the LigaMX is in structural and financial decline, and thus willing to accommodate the travesty of the League Cup? The 2nd Division of LigaMX has repeatedly floundered. The valuation of LigaMX first division clubs have languished --now rumored to be as low as $50-200 million --so is now not much different than USL Championship clubs. The Leagues Cup at least undoubtedly provides a slug of much needed revenue for the LigaMX clubs....
Also, now that Inter Miami FC and LAFC club valuations now approaches $1 billion or more, it's likely that LigaMX sees a bleak future so this is a step in the MLS extending into Mexico, ultimately absorbing the top LigaMX clubs (Monterrey, Club America, etc.)?
I agree wholeheartedly with DfromBham that the quality of Liga MX play is arguably still superior to the MLS despite the differences in club valuations! This is evident in that LigaMX teams make it to the playoffs and finals in force, despite having to play without home-field advantage AND travel vast distances throughout the entirety of the Leagues Cup.