Contrived Leagues Cup announces venue for final
Another effort to prove that MLS is equal to Liga MX has found a home as the Leagues Cup Final has been announced for the next two years.
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The contrived Leagues Cup, a tournament featuring teams from Mexico and the United States, will be playing its championship match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The stadium is the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
The culminating match will be played on Wednesday, September 22. The match will air on ESPN2.
“As the partnership between MLS and LIGA MX continues to grow in the coming years and demonstrate what is possible between our two leagues, the passionate soccer market of Las Vegas is the perfect host for the Leagues Cup Final in 2021 and 2022,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement released to the media on Tuesday. “The fans of the region have proven their love of the sport throughout the years, including a sellout of the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup Final. We look forward to playing Leagues Cup at Allegiant Stadium, an incredible venue that has quickly become a destination for world-class soccer events.”
The tournament is another way for MLS to compete against Mexican sides, all while making what will likely be a tidy profit for both leagues. Historically, MLS has struggled against top Mexican sides in international competitions. Underscoring this fact is that just one MLS team, the Philadelphia Union, remains in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League. The other three teams in that tournament’s semifinals are from Liga MX.
“For LIGA MX, Leagues Cup represents a very important step in our internationalization project. Sports competition against MLS and the possibility of reaching our great fans in the United States are a great opportunity for our institution and our clubs,” said Mike Arriola, Liga MX’s executive president.
“Additionally, the fact that the city of Las Vegas and its spectacular new stadium are hosting the grand final is an extra motivation to fight on the pitch for a chance to be in the championship game and continue making history with a new Leagues Cup title”.
The Leagues Cup features four MLS sides and four teams from Liga MX. Orlando City (vs. Santos Laguna), Seattle Sounders (Tigres), New York City FC (PUMAS) and Sporting Kansas City (Club Leon or Chivas de Guadalajara) will play the quarterfinal matches of the Leagues Cup in mid-August.
The semifinal round of the Leagues Cup will be in mid-September with the tournament’s final one week later.
There are no guarantees that the Leagues Cup final will be an MLS versus Liga MX affair as teams from one league could theoretically all be knocked out by that point.
Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex‘ on Twitter @KristianRDyer