This year was supposed to be different.
The Leagues Cup format was modified before this summer’s tournament, guaranteeing all four quarterfinals would pit teams from Liga MX against teams from Major League Soccer. That is, of course, the essence of the tournament, started in 2019 but fully implemented in 2023.
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Despite the changes, the results are the same: MLS teams have dominated, winning all four quarterfinals Wednesday night and setting up a final four that will feature familiar matchups — the Clásico del Sol match between Inter Miami and Orlando City in one semifinal and the Seattle Sounders against the LA Galaxy. Both teams already played league games against each other earlier this month.
The prize at the end of the competition are places in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the regional club championship, to the top three finishers.
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Yet, it is Mexican clubs’ performance in that tournament that shows the “gap” between leagues may not be closing as fast as MLS’ boosters hope. MLS teams regularly struggle to get past Liga MX sides in CCC play, which takes place in two-legged ties that sees each team host one game, with the winner on aggregate score advancing.
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The Seattle Sounders are into the semifinals after a shootout win Wednesday night against Puebla and a sterling Phase One in which they beat all three Liga MX teams they faced. That included a 7-0 romp over Cruz Azul. The teams had met earlier this year in the CCC, with the Sounders fighting to a scoreless draw at home before falling 4-1 to the eventual champion of the competition.
That illustrates the difference between what has happened the last three years in Leagues Cup and what has happened over the last two decades in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
MLS teams are beginning to compete more regularly — the Sounders’ title win in 2022 remains the only non-Mexican team win in the modern era but an MLS team has made it to each of the last two finals. Yet, MLS teams still struggle in Mexico, facing not only high-quality teams but doing it in intimidating atmospheres — and often coping with the high altitude of Toluca, Mexico City or Pachuca.
Toluca manager Antonio Mohamed just guided his team to the Liga MX title and won the Campeon de Campeones match, played against the other winner of the short tournament in Liga MX’s system that sees a 17-week season contested every six months. But with Leagues Cup taking place entirely outside of Mexico, Mohamed feels the great equalizer would be to make MLS teams hit the road.
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“If we played there, we’d have a more clear parameter in the sense that each team is at home, eating, not having to come here for 10-15 days to play three matches. It’s no coincidence that the four MLS teams that were always at home went through comfortably,” Mohamed said after his team’s shootout defeat to Orlando City. “They’re at home, we’re going from one hotel to another, traveling.
“I think it makes a big difference. The other difference is that MLS does have great players, great teams and has balanced a ton. Since everything is so equal, the conditions for everyone have to be equal as well.”
Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez kicks a penalty to score a goal during the second half of a Leagues Cup quarterfinal soccer match against Tigres UANL, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Leagues Cup organizers have taken strides to make things more comfortable for traveling Mexican clubs. Mohamed’s own team benefited from “hosting” at a neutral site, playing Orlando in Southern California rather than in Florida. Teams that perform well in previous campaigns are rewarded with the chance to select hub sites where they have a strong fan base and play matches in those areas rather than crisscrossing the U.S.
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The tournament also has been shaved down when it comes to the number of consecutive days it takes place. Teams like Toluca previously had to spend a full month away from home in the U.S. but this year participated in a week-long Phase One, then returned to Mexico and played Liga MX matches before Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
It isn’t just about site and the comforts of home. MLS teams long have complained about the timing of some CCC matches. With a season that starts in early spring, MLS teams often play their first CCC match before opening league play, while Mexican clubs are already settled and in rhythm. While Liga MX’s Apertura season had started before Leagues Cup kicked off, it was only three weeks old and, with the transfer window still open, teams are still in flux.
Some Mexican teams welcome the challenge and entered this year’s Leagues Cup with hopes of being the first Liga MX team to finish in the top three — and secure the CCC place that comes with a podium finish.
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“We know what the rules are. We know we’ll always be visitors. It’s no excuse. We know we’ve got less rest, have traveled more kilometers than them, that’s how the tournament is,” Pachuca manager Jaime Lozano said after his team’s 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy. “I think we’ve got to compete against that. I see it as an opportunity to compete internationally, to measure ourselves against other systems, another soccer culture.”
Leagues Cup is a fun tournament, made to feel even more madcap by its rejection of ties. Matches level after 90 minutes go directly to a penalty shootout. Yet, even as fans look for a larger sample size as they debate which league is the strongest in North America, it cannot be the only barometer.
MLS and its teams are the undisputed kings of Leagues Cup. Liga MX and its clubs are the undisputed kings of the CCC. Both will be eager to change that and try to exert true regional domination. Until then, fans will be able to relish the moments when their preferred team or league is on top, and to enjoy the continued showdowns the rival leagues are sure to continue to contest.
