The third edition of the Leagues Cup is set to kick off between Major League Soccer and Liga MX clubs, with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi stealing the headlines.
The 2023 edition will see 47 sides from the two North American leagues – 29 from MLS and 18 from Liga MX – face off in a unique style tournament designed to help generate more exposure for both leagues. The arrival of Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba will only help the sport continue to grow in the United States and Mexico alike.
The Mexico-based clubs have the upper hand against MLS sides (which is nothing different when compared to how the two leagues fare in the Concacaf Champions League – now rebranded to the Concacaf Champions Cup), winning the first two editions of the competition. Cruz Azul were the victors in 2019, and Club Leon triumphed in 2021. Although Cruz Azul finished first just a few years ago, they’re now in a precarious spot as they face Inter Miami and their trio of ex-Barcelona players, who are looking to make an immediate impact.
The group stage begins on July 21, with five game taking place on the first match day. There are three teams to each group, and the top two teams with the most points will advance to the knockout stage. In the knockout stage, it is a win-or-go home one-game scenario.
There are also no draws in the Leagues Cup in the group stage. When one side has won after regulation, said team earns three points. If both teams are tied after the 90 minutes, then both teams receive one point. But after normal time, instead of going to two periods of extra time, the game goes straight to penalty kicks – with the winner earning one point.
*LAFC and Pachuca will not participate in the group stage, as they received a bye after winning their respective leagues (LAFC won MLS Cup in 2022, Pachuca had the most combined points spanning across the 2022 Clausura and Apertura seasons).
2023 Leagues Cup round dates
|
Round |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Matchday 1 |
July 21-July 23 |
|
Matchday 2 |
July 25-July 27 |
|
Matchday 3 |
July 29-July 31 |
|
Round of 16 |
TBD |
|
Quarterfinal |
TBD |
|
Semifinal |
TBD |
|
Final |
TBD |
Because of the FIFA World Cup taking place in December of last year. there wasn’t an official Leagues Cup tournament. It would’ve been too much on the players with all of the games being played already throughout the year.
Instead, five games were held in place of the competition, and the results are below:
Only two teams have won the tournament before – Cruz Azul and Club Leon. Cruz Azul defeated Tigres UANL in the 2019 final,2-1, and Club Leon triumphed 3-2 over Seattle Sounders to win the 2021 edition.
There will be plenty of coverage due to a certain Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami, and it can be watched on Apple TV via MLS Season Pass, Univision, FOX Sports, TSN, RDS, and Televisa.
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