Standing inside a makeshift VIP area at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium, MLS commissioner Don Garber was asked how many times Lionel Messi’s name had been brought up to him over the last week. It was July 21, the day that Messi would make his American soccer debut.
“More times than I ever imagined,” said Garber, with a laugh. “That’s all right. I think it speaks to the incredible sort of appeal and intrigue of the player.”
There were only a handful of journalists gathered around Garber and Liga MX president Mikel Arriola. Reporters from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and the U.S. peppered the executive with questions about Messi. Garber and Arriola were on hand in Fort Lauderdale for the start of the Leagues Cup, a first-of-its-kind soccer tournament hosted in the United States. Messi’s presence had boosted interest around the world.
“The beauty of Leagues Cup is this idea that we’ve been innovative and have set a new dynamic for what professional soccer or football can be,” said Garber. “The idea that you have two cross-border leagues competing against each other is so outside the box, imagine if that was in other countries, whether that’s in Europe or in South America, I think it’s just incredibly fun and really cool.”
There was curiosity about the competition from the foreign contingent of reporters, but it was apparent that the press and the more than 20,000 fans in attendance were there to see Messi, Argentina’s World Cup winning captain and still the world’s best player. Garber, though, tried earnestly to shift the focus towards the 47-team competition.
“Tonight’s about the Leagues Cup,” Garber said. “Lionel Messi happens to be playing tonight, but tonight’s about the Leagues Cup.”
Later that night, Messi would score a dramatic last-gasp winner for Inter Miami against Mexican side Cruz Azul. Since then, Messi has scored six more goals in Miami’s following three Leagues Cup games, making him the tournament’s joint leading scorer with Minnesota United’s Bongokuhle Hlongwane. Messi has been willing Inter Miami to victory with highlight-reel performances and a hunger to win that many thought he had left in Qatar. Inter Miami were in the midst of a nine-match winless streak in MLS regular season play prior to arrival. They’ve now gone four straight without a loss.
Leagues Cup was designed as a World Cup-style competition between MLS and Liga MX clubs. Not quite a North American Super League, but a novel idea that Garber referred to as “rocket fuel” to inspire the continued growth of MLS, and further expand Liga MX’s footprint. Messi was the competition’s unexpected guest of honor, and the big name that the tournament needed. But the tournament has not been without its critics, controversies, and even complaints from one of its organizers.
Billed as a “one-of-a-kind soccer tournament,” the current iteration of Leagues Cup features all 29 MLS teams and all 18 Liga MX teams divided into 15 regional groups of three. 2022 MLS Cup winners LAFC and Pachuca, who had the most total points across last year’s Liga MX Apertura and Clausura stages, were awarded group-stage byes for their achievements. As a twist on traditional tournament play, group-stage matches that ended regulation in a draw would go to a penalty shootout, with the winner of that being awarded an extra point on top of the one earned for the draw. The top three finishers in the 2023 Leagues Cup earn a place in the CONCACAF Champions League. All the matches are available on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass service.
Round of 32
???? Quarterfinals pic.twitter.com/5mphS4X2LR— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 9, 2023
The 2023 edition of Leagues Cup is the third iteration of the competition. It kicked off in 2019 with eight teams: the Chicago Fire, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo represented MLS and Liga MX sent Club América, Cruz Azul, Tigres, and Club Tijuana. The final was played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada between Cruz Azul and Tigres, with Cruz Azul earning the win.
The tournament was canceled the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan then was to expand Leagues Cup to 16 teams, but the 2021 edition also featured eight teams. In 2022 it was paused again, this time due to fixture congestion. The “Leagues Cup Showcase” was held in its place, where the matches were classified as friendlies. With all these stops, starts and format changes, Leagues Cup hadn’t taken off until now — and that change is largely down to the timing of Messi’s stateside arrival.
When this version of the Leagues Cup concept was created in 2020, the Argentine superstar was still playing for Barcelona. A year later Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain. At that time, and considering Messi’s desire to one day return to Barcelona, the possibility of Messi playing in MLS was low. Apple had not yet signed its 10-year, $2.6 billion media deal with MLS, either.
Without Messi, the idea behind the 2023 Leagues Cup was to capitalize on two important factors: the existing Mexican-American population in the U.S. who support Liga MX teams (Liga MX is the most viewed soccer league in the country), and the decades-long rivalry that exists on the pitch between Mexico and the U.S.
Both leagues would benefit from each other’s strongest characteristics. MLS would put their growing brand in front of the millions of Liga MX fans who reside in the U.S — a potentially valuable new fan base. Liga MX, meanwhile, could attract new multinational sponsors.
A Sports Business Journal report from July set the total Leagues Cup prize money at close to $40 million, with players receiving a share of their club’s total winnings. It goes without saying that Leagues Cup is a commercial play that has been elevated by Messi’s arrival.
Arriola, a former Mexico City mayoral candidate with a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, has made it a priority to further link Liga MX to MLS. Arriola is a Mexican soccer outsider who doesn’t shy away from the business or political sides of the sport.
“Look at the sponsors on this backdrop,” Arriola said before Messi’s debut. “That tells you about the interest that there is in North America for football, these two leagues and for this format. There has never been a format like this. We’ve been preparing for two years.”
Arriola was asked if Messi’s presence was discussed during the concept stage of Leagues Cup. He said that wasn’t the case, but he was happy to give the Argentine credit for providing the star power that the competition desperately needed, calling Messi “a spectacular addition” to the tournament.
“Now Messi and these sponsors are aware of North America’s potential,” Arriola said.
Arriola’s excitement was evident. Liga MX had unexpectedly fallen into Messi’s universe. However, Leagues Cup is a divisive topic in Mexico. Sectors of the media don’t consider it a serious competition. The disdain for Leagues Cup is notable among fans of Liga MX clubs on social media. Critics deem Leagues Cup a cash grab. And with no games held in Mexico, the tournament’s detractors have accused Leagues Cup of being a one-sided idea that favors MLS teams and prioritizes revenue generation.
Those perceptions were further magnified on Tuesday night. Tournament favorite and Mexican powerhouse Club América was eliminated by MLS side Nashville SC in a controversial penalty shootout. América had won the shootout 5-4, which led to rapturous celebrations from the América players, staff and their thousands of fans in attendance in Nashville.
However, after a lengthy delay, VAR officials made the decision to replay the penalty. América goalkeeper Luis Malagón had stepped off his line with both feet to make what was thought to be the game-winning save. Nashville converted the replayed penalty and later won the shootout.
That same night, Liga MX regional rivals CF Monterrey and Tigres UNAL played to a 0-0 draw in Houston, until a 90th minute penalty was awarded to Monterrey. That decision also required a VAR decision. Former Real Betis playmaker Sergio Canales, Monterrey’s new star signing, converted the penalty that qualified Monterrey to the quarterfinals.
Following their win, Monterrey sporting director José Antonio Noriega criticized the tournament’s organizers. Noriega said that the club was “disappointed and concerned” after their semifinal match against LAFC in Los Angeles, originally scheduled for August 12, was moved up a day. He noted the heavy cross-country travel that Monterrey has had to do during Leagues Cup.
“It’ll be our fifth game while LA(FC) will be home with their players eating dinner with their families every night, going to the movies, resting,” Noriega told reporters. “So much more organization is needed. Things have to be more fair. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but if we advance after LA, I guarantee we’ll have to fly to the other side of the country. It’s crazy. There’s so much that needs to be improved and hopefully they do that, because this is not good at all.”
On July 21, with the buzz of Messi’s debut in the air, Arriola welcomed the possibility of Leagues Cup matches being played in Mexico. He called the tournament “very flexible.”
“I am sure that we could work something out,” he said. “But now, considering this huge tournament, we feel very comfortable here in the U.S.”
But on Wednesday, a day after Noriega’s comments, Arriola adamantly proposed changes to next year’s edition of the tournament. He said that post-tournament analysis would determine the steps that would be necessary to allow Liga MX teams to host matches in Mexico.
“We’ve been able to hear the fans who have complained about their teams playing as the visitors and they’ve complained the entire time about the refereeing and VAR,” Arriola told TUDN, the tournament’s Spanish-language rights holder. “The Leagues Cup dual committee has to listen to those voices in order to represent our clubs. We’ll lean on that analysis to make modifications next year, especially so that the playing field is more even.”
Inter Miami head coach, and former Mexico national team manager, Tata Martino was asked on Thursday about the Liga MX statement, specifically about Leagues Cup officiating and the tournament format.
Martino said that everyone has a right to disagree with refereeing decisions if warranted. He showed little empathy, however, for those who have grievances about the way Leagues Cup was devised.
“MLS didn’t say, ‘We’re going to host a tournament but we’re going to do it the way we want. If you want in, come and play. If not, don’t come,’” Martino said. “No, CONCACAF organized a tournament. They called MLS. They called Liga MX. They sat together and decided how the tournament would be played, how much money they would all make, what the business (side) would look like. Because we forget that everyone likes the business side, but then that’s when the protests begin. The deal was closed. You agreed to the calendar. You accepted to play every match in the United States.
“You understand that you may have to travel a lot more than the U.S.-based teams, which is logical when you’re the visiting team,” continued Martino. “When you accept all of that, you don’t have a right to complain. But if every (Liga MX) club wants to complain, they should file their complaints with the president of the Mexican Football Federation, not the organizers of the tournament. The president of the Mexican Football Federation was the person who accepted the tournament conditions.”
In July, Arriola was confident in the tournament’s future, knowing that Messi is a cultural phenomenon that must be capitalized on. Ahead of Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over Cruz Azul, Arriola sounded like a candidate on the campaign trail.
“It’ll be the most-watched game in Cruz Azul’s history,” Arriola said. “That’s what Messi in the Leagues Cup can do. The stakes are immediately higher. This game will be watched in over 100 countries via Apple. And if you combine the Mexican and American football audiences, we’re talking about 160 million people. This tournament’s potential will always be positive. We have to take advantage. North America has to send a message.”
MLS’ Mexican stars, Carlos Vela and Chicharito Hernández, were originally seen as suitable brand ambassadors for Leagues Cup. But once Messi decided to spurn the Saudi Premier League for a stint in America, Leagues Cup became his entryway into the American consciousness.
4 games. 7 goals. 1 assist.
What will Messi do next?@LeaguesCup quarterfinals start tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/DYIf3ejzKZ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 10, 2023
Leagues Cup will continue to be all about Messi as long as Inter Miami continues to advance. Inter Miami has scored the most goals in the tournament (12) and will host Charlotte FC on Friday in the quarterfinals, where they’ll be heavy favorites. Messi’s immediate impact has been the biggest sports story in America. But beyond Messi and complaints about the tournament’s setup, Leagues Cup has carried a variety of other impactful events.
Cruz Azul fired manager Ricardo Ferretti after their round of 32 loss to Charlotte FC. Club Querétaro, which was on the verge of dissolution in 2022, following the horrific fan violence that took place at Querétaro’s Estadio La Corregidora, advanced to the quarterfinals after eliminating the New England Revolution on penalties.
Querétaro’s quiet resurgence has been overshadowed by all of the hype that has surrounded Messi and Inter Miami’s continued evolution under Martino. During this inaugural Leagues Cup, there have been serious injuries and unconscionable social media strategies. Monterrey center forward Germán Berterame suffered a fractured left foot against the Portland Timbers in Monterrey’s round of 32 win. New England defender Brandon Bye tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Atlas FC. Both injuries occurred on field turf.
After Atlas defeated New York City FC 1-0 in the group stage, a win that included an overturned NYCFC equalizer, the Mexican club’s official Twitter account cited Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in a twisted effort to criticize members of the media.
The @LeaguesCup list is updated.
Greatest competition in the world. pic.twitter.com/Nduqwk9aqt
— Daniel Robertson (@Daniel_Rob27) August 8, 2023
There was only one scoreless draw during the group stage and a total of 222 goals have been scored up to the quarter final stage. Fans have enjoyed plenty of penalty shootout drama, as well. All Leagues Cup matches go straight to penalties after the regulation 90 minutes. Inter Miami’s 4-4 thriller against FC Dallas went to penalties, where Miami prevailed.
On Tuesday night, there were three Leagues Cup penalty shootouts occurring simultaneously, all of which were knockout matches, leaving just two Liga MX sides (Querétaro and Monterrey) alive in the competition.
Messi has given the first edition of Leagues Cup, and MLS for that matter, the branding it has always coveted. According to a Google Trends report on Tuesday, “Dallas vs Inter Miami” was the top trending search worldwide. “The world is searching ‘MLS’ more than ever before,” the report said.
But the longevity of that relationship is what truly matters. Garber is proud of MLS’ “outside-the-box” ideas, Messi notwithstanding, referring to soccer as “the sport of the next generation of sports fan.”
“I’ve heard rumors about (South American competition) Copa Libertadores coming into the United States and maybe that there would be guest local teams in that tournament. Certainly when the Club World Cup comes here, its expanded format, you’re going to see international competition on the professional level in ways that have never been presented to fans and media partners before.”
“We’re not your father’s sport,” Garber added.
The beauty of Leagues Cup, according to Garber, is the competition’s ability to create opportunity through strategic disruption of the sport. He also welcomed the evolution of Leagues Cup to include clubs from outside of North America.
“There’s no reason that you can’t have other teams come in and participate in Leagues Cup,” said Garber.
A structural change like that would need CONCACAF approval, but Garber doesn’t appear to be against the internationalization of American soccer. And Messi is the catalyst that MLS, and its unconventionality, has never had before.
(Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images)
