MLS & Liga MX teams go head-to-head in official competition starting this July;
Tickets available at
LeaguesCup.com
NEW YORK AND MEXICO CITY
(May 29, 2019)
– Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX, with the support of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), today announced the creation of
Leagues Cup™
, an annual competition between the two top soccer leagues in North America to be played starting this July.
The 2019 edition of
Leagues Cup
will feature four clubs from each league in an eight-team single-elimination tournament that launches with quarterfinals on July 23 and 24 at the stadiums of the MLS clubs. The semifinals will be August 20 at venues to be determined based on quarterfinal results. The
Leagues Cup
final will be held on Wednesday, September 18 at a U.S. venue to be announced.
- MLS and Liga MX Player & Manager reaction video soundbytes can be found here, including Jonathan Dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Miguel Herrera (Club America), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Chicago Fire), Carlos Salcedo (Tigres)
- Leagues Cup tournament schedule bracket can be downloaded here.
- Leagues Cup logo can be downloaded here.
- Leagues Cup hype video can be viewed here.
For 2020 and beyond, MLS and Liga MX will explore the option to expand
Leagues Cup
to encompass more participating teams. While sporting criteria will determine participants for both leagues in future editions of
Leagues Cup
, for the inaugural 2019 edition, the four Liga MX clubs were selected based on results in recent competitions, while the four MLS club participants were invited to compete. All clubs have won domestic titles.
MLS Clubs:
- Chicago Fire – MLS Cup and four-time U.S. Open Cup champions;
- Houston Dynamo – Two-time MLS Cup champions and reigning U.S. Open Cup champion;
- LA Galaxy – Five-time MLS Cup champion and two-time U.S. Open Cup champion;
- Real Salt Lake – MLS Cup champion.
Liga MX Clubs:
- Club America – 13-time Liga MX champion and six-time Copa MX champion;
- Cruz Azul – Eight-time Liga MX champion and four-time Copa MX champion;
- Tigres UANL – Three-time Copa MX champion, reigning Campeones Cup and seven-time reigning Liga MX champion;
- Club Tijuana – Liga MX champion.
The tournament has been sanctioned by Concacaf.
“Concacaf is committed to continuing the development of competitions that will further unite the Confederation and provide more opportunities to develop players and connect passionate fans across our region,” said Concacaf President, Victor Montagliani. “Alongside our own expanded regional club competitions, which includes the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, the Leagues Cup organized by Liga MX and MLS further strengthens our sport in our Confederation and is a precursor for future collaboration between Concacaf, Liga MX, MLS and other key stakeholders.”
Tickets to the general public to
Leagues Cup
will be available starting Thursday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. local time by visiting
www.LeaguesCup.com
. Fans can sign-up to receive additional information including presale access at LeaguesCup.com.
“We are excited to take our partnership with Liga MX to the next level with Leagues Cup,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “We have an intense rivalry between our national teams, and Leagues Cup provides a terrific opportunity to increase the growing rivalry between MLS and Liga MX clubs.”
Enrique Bonilla, Liga MX Executive President, said: “The rivalry between Liga MX and MLS clubs as well as the sporting level of both competitions grows constantly. We are aware that there are a great number of fans around the region who follow the leagues and we believe that Leagues Cup will allow us to bring Liga MX and that great fanbase closer together, while fortifying our sport in the region, which is already the most important in the continent in regards to infrastructure, media impact and the quality of the competition. This great event will mark a new start in this relationship moving forward, with a long-term vision.”
Leagues Cup
brand and logo were also unveiled, representing how the game unites fans, while promoting the union of the three countries and inspiring a ferocious sporting rivalry between the two Leagues.
Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the preeminent soccer enterprise in North America, will operate and commercialize
Leagues Cup
.
Leagues Cup™ 2019 Schedule
(All Times Eastern) / * Subject to change
Tuesday, July 23
Chicago Fire vs. Cruz Azul (SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, IL) 8:30 p.m.
LA Galaxy vs. Club Tijuana (Dignity Health Sports Park – Carson, Calif.) 11:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 24
Houston Dynamo vs. Club America (BBVA Compass Stadium – Houston, TX) 8:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake vs. Tigres UANL (Rio Tinto Stadium – Salt Lake City, UT) 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 20
Semifinal 1 *
Semifinal 2 *
Wednesday, September 18
Final
* Leagues Cup Semifinals:
- If a Semifinal is MLS club vs. MLS club, BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston and Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles have been pre-determined to host the semifinals on its respective side of the bracket
- If a Semifinal is Liga MX club vs. Liga MX club, BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston and Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles have been pre-determined to host the semifinals on its respective side of the bracket
- If a Semifinal is MLS club vs. Liga MX club, the MLS team will host the Semifinal game
Media Assets
- Click here for player and manager video reaction soundbytes from Liga MX and MLS players and coaches.
- Click here to download the official Leagues Cup logo and bracket.
- Click here to download the Leagues Cup Quote Sheet (in English and Spanish).
- Click here to download photos of Liga MX and MLS players.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer features 24 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF begin play in 2020, and the league’s 27th club, Austin FC, debuts in 2021. For more information about MLS, visit
www.MLSsoccer.com
About Liga MX
Liga MX is Mexican soccer’s first division, comprised of 18 clubs throughout the country and headquartered in a new sporting complex in Toluca, México. Visit
www.LigaMX.net
for more information.
About Concacaf
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) is the governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and one of the six continental confederations that comprise FIFA. Concacaf is composed of 41 Member Associations, including nations and territories from Canada in the north, south through Central America and across the Caribbean to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana on the South American continent. Concacaf provides manages a network of unified competitions and development activities to unite this diverse region in football, with the goals of actively promoting universal access to our sport and raising the quality of football across the Confederation.
About Soccer United Marketing
Over the past 17 years, Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, has become the preeminent commercial soccer enterprise in North America, overseeing the commercialization, marketing, promotion and operational execution of the region’s most successful soccer entities. Currently, SUM holds the exclusive rights to Major League Soccer, the United States Soccer Federation, the Mexican National Team (for the United States market), and Concacaf Properties (Gold Cup™ and Concacaf Champions League). In addition, SUM held the promotional and commercial rights to the highly successful 2016 Copa America Centenario.
