2024 Leagues Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Canada United States |
| Dates | July 26 – August 25 |
| Teams | 47 (from 3 associations) |
| Venue(s) | 32 (in 31 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Columbus Crew (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Los Angeles FC |
| Third place | Colorado Rapids |
| Fourth place | Philadelphia Union |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 77 |
| Goals scored | 227 (2.95 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Tai Baribo (7 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Cucho Hernández[1] |
| Best goalkeeper | Zack Steffen[2] |
← 2023 2025 → | |
The 2024 Leagues Cup was the fourth edition of the Leagues Cup, an international club soccer tournament contested by Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX clubs in North America. It was held from July 26 to August 25, 2024, with all 77 matches played in Canada and the United States.
Columbus Crew won the tournament after defeating Los Angeles FC in the final at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.[3] The three highest-placing teams qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, with Columbus Crew qualifying directly to the tournament's round of 16 stage.[4]
The groups and format for the 2024 edition were announced on January 31.[5] Unlike the 2023 edition, only two regions were used for the tournament's group stage, divided into eight groups in the West and seven in the East. The 45 teams in the group stage were seeded in a combined table based on the 2023 regular season for MLS teams and most recent 34 matches in the Clausura and Apertura for Liga MX teams.[6] Seeding for the group stage was divided into three pots (named "tiers") with geographical balance also considered.[5] MLS Cup 2023 champions Columbus Crew and the top Liga MX team by aggregate points in 2023, América, both earned a bye to the round of 32.[5][7]
All matches were played in Canada and United States at MLS venues. The top four teams in the Liga MX table used for seeding (América, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and UANL) had hub privileges that allowed them to be the designated home team in certain rounds. The predetermined venues for the hubs were announced on March 14, 2024.[5][7][8]
Inter Miami were defending champions, but failed to defend the title after being eliminated by Columbus Crew in the round of 16; Columbus Crew went on to win the tournament for the first time.
Teams
Draw
For the 2024 edition of the Leagues Cup, the 45 teams participating in the group stage were drawn into groups based on a combined ranking that used the 2023 Supporters' Shield table for MLS teams and the most recent 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura seasons for Liga MX teams. These teams were divided into three pots from which the groups were drawn.[5][7]
Seeding
| Team | Rank |
|---|---|
| Club América | Bye |
| C.F. Monterrey | 1 |
| FC Cincinnati | 2 |
| Orlando City SC | 3 |
| C.D. Guadalajara | 4 |
| Columbus Crew | Bye |
| St. Louis City SC | 5 |
| Tigres UANL | 6 |
| Philadelphia Union | 7 |
| New England Revolution | 8 |
| C.D. Toluca | 9 |
| Club León | 10 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 11 |
| C.F. Pachuca | 12 |
| Los Angeles FC | 13 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 14 |
| Atlanta United FC | 15 |
| Team | Rank |
|---|---|
| Real Salt Lake | 16 |
| Nashville SC | 17 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 18 |
| FC Dallas | 19 |
| Pumas UNAM | 20 |
| Club Puebla | 21 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 22 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 23 |
| New York Red Bulls | 24 |
| Charlotte FC | 25 |
| Portland Timbers | 26 |
| Atlético San Luis | 27 |
| Santos Laguna | 28 |
| New York City FC | 29 |
| Minnesota United FC | 30 |
| Team | Rank |
|---|---|
| Cruz Azul | 31 |
| CF Montréal | 32 |
| D.C. United | 33 |
| Chicago Fire FC | 34 |
| Austin FC | 35 |
| Querétaro F.C. | 36 |
| Atlas | 37 |
| Club Tijuana | 38 |
| LA Galaxy | 39 |
| Inter Miami CF | 40 |
| FC Juárez | 41 |
| Club Necaxa | 42 |
| Mazatlán F.C. | 43 |
| Colorado Rapids | 44 |
| Toronto FC | 45 |
Group stage
The top four Liga MX clubs had "hub rights" that allowed them to host in a fixed region with priority over most MLS teams:[8]
- América played in California starting at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego in the round of 32; hub privilege lasted through the semifinals.
- Monterrey played in Texas with both group games at Q2 Stadium in Austin; hub privilege lasted through the round of 16.
- Guadalajara played in California starting at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara; hub privilege lasted through the round of 32.
- UANL played in Texas starting at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston; hub privilege lasted for group stage games only.
East
| East 1 | East 2 | East 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East 4 | East 5 | East 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
West
| West 1 | West 2 | West 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West 4 | West 5 | West 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West 7 | West 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Source: Leagues Cup
|
Knockout stage
Bracket
Round of 32
Round of 16
Quarterfinals
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Crew | 1–1 (4–3 p) | New York City FC |
| Philadelphia Union | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Mazatlán F.C. |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 0–3 | Los Angeles FC |
| Club América | 0–0 (8–9 p) | Colorado Rapids |
Semifinals
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Crew | 3–1 | Philadelphia Union |
| Los Angeles FC | 4–0 | Colorado Rapids |
Third place playoff
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Union | 2–2 (1–3 p) | Colorado Rapids |
Final
Both finalists qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the winners advancing directly to the round of 16.
| Columbus Crew | 3–1 | Los Angeles FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Statistics
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | R32 | R16 | QF | SF | 3rd | F | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tai Baribo | Philadelphia Union | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |||||
| 2 | Denis Bouanga | Los Angeles FC | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||
| Diego Rossi | Columbus Crew | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 4 | Jeremy Ebobisse | San Jose Earthquakes | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||
| Cucho Hernández | Columbus Crew | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| Cristian Olivera | Los Angeles FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Matías Rojas | Inter Miami CF | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| 8 | Jesús Angulo | Toluca | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| Mateusz Bogusz | Los Angeles FC | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Kei Kamara | Los Angeles FC | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Jordan Morris | Seattle Sounders FC | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Santiago Rodríguez | New York City FC | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
Controversies
Some pointed out that the Leagues Cup interrupted the schedules of both Liga MX and MLS. French player André-Pierre Gignac stated:[10] "I don't think that in Europe Marseille would have agreed to stop the local tournament for a month to go to another country to compete in an international one, but it is part of the growth of two leagues, of a rivalry. The United States is a spectacle and is great."
He also added: "It would be good if American clubs could come to play in Mexico because in Mexico there are different altitudes and climates, which would be beneficial."
In a similar way, Toluca's Portuguese trainer Renato Paiva declared: “For me it doesn't make sense to cut the tournament. Who am I to teach people to organize tournaments, but I think these types of strikes should be for national teams. Today you start the Leagues Cup, you finish it and start the championship later or you start the championship, you finish it and you start the Leagues Cup later."[11]
Additionally, a reporter from the newspaper Récord reported that the Leagues Cup would impose a $25,000 fine on anyone who spoke negatively about the tournament, which was slightly more than 450,000 Mexican pesos. This decision was reportedly due to the negative feedback received by the event's organizers in 2023, when León players spent an extended period at the airport due to logistical problems.[12]
Following Tijuana's defeat to Los Angeles FC on July 26, and regarding a controversial expulsion during the match, goalkeeper Antonio Rodríguez limited his comments to the press area, as he admitted that he could face punishment: “I don't have the slightest idea, I was far away and I only saw that they gave him the red card (…) We can't speak badly about the Leagues Cup because they'll fine us”, the goalkeeper told Salvadoran journalist Rodrigo Serrano.[13]
See also
- 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup
- 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup
- 2024 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup
- 2024 CFU Club Shield
- 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
References
- ^ "Cucho Hernandez named Leagues Cup 2024 Best Player". Leagues Cup. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "Zack Steffen named Leagues Cup 2024 Best Goalkeeper". Leagues Cup. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "Columbus Crew crowned Champions of Leagues Cup 2024". Leagues Cup. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "MLS unveils 2024 Regular Season schedule". MLSSoccer.com. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Leagues Cup 2024: Groups for MLS and LIGA MX teams". MLSSoccer.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (January 31, 2024). "MLS, Liga MX announce modified 2024 Leagues Cup". Pro Soccer Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Cardenas, Felipe (January 31, 2024). "MLS, Liga MX announce Leagues Cup changes to reduce travel, add regional hubs". The Athletic. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ a b "Leagues Cup 2024: Schedule, bracket & hubs for MLS-LIGA MX competition". MLSSoccer.com. March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Leagues Cup 2024 » Top Scorer". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ "Gignac se une a críticas sobre Leagues Cup: "Marsella no hubiera aceptado parar un mes el torneo local"". Marca México (in Spanish). July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "Paiva critica la pausa de Liga MX por la Leagues Cup: "No tiene sentido"". TUDN (in Spanish). July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "Multarán a quien hable mal de la Leagues Cup gracias al León". Fieramanía (in Spanish). July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "'Nos multan si hablamos mal de la Leagues Cup'; Toño Rodríguez, portero de Xolos (VIDEO)". Fox Sports (in Spanish). July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.