The Leagues Cup Sophomore Slump

By
UP Staff
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In its second season since expanding to all MLS and Liga MX clubs, the Leagues Cup has left a lot to be desired compared to the much-hyped debut last year.

Just over a year ago, thousands flocked to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to witness greatness. Lionel Messi was making his much-anticipated MLS debut with Inter Miami CF in a Leagues Cup match against Liga MX side Cruz Azul.

The stadium atmosphere was electric, with A-list guests including LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Kim Kardashian in attendance. And like he always seems to do, Messi delivered.

His Stateside club debut is the stuff of legend. After coming on in the 54th minute, Messi broke a 1-1 tie with a seemingly scripted game-winning free kick goal in stoppage time. MLS and the Leagues Cup couldn’t have written a better scenario.

One year later and the vibes around the tournament couldn’t be any more different. Chase Stadium was half-empty during Inter Miami’s round of 32 Leagues Cup match against Toronto FC on August 8, and Messi, still nursing an injured ankle from the 2024 Copa America, watched on from the bench.

The match itself was vibrant, with Miami narrowly escaping in a 4-3 victory over their Canadian foes, but if lightning strikes in front of a paltry crowd of 10,000-plus — does it really create any electricity?

And it’s not just a Messi and Miami problem — the subdued buzz around the 2024 Leagues Cup would suggest the tournament is in something of a sophomore slump.

If MLS wanted to sell the idea that the Leagues Cup really matters, it would seem that it forgot to tell its Liga MX counterparts, who rarely talk about the competition, don’t promote it, and in fact, only seem to care about getting paid for participation.

Out of the eight remaining quarterfinal teams, only two hail from Liga MX, the same amount from last year. Compare that to the CONCACAF Champions Cup — a competition Mexican sides have dominated year in and out — in which Liga MX had four representatives in the quarters and three in the semis in 2024.

Many Mexican clubs, pundits, and managers seem very disinterested in the Leagues Cup, which actually has a lot to play for: three spots in the following season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup. While some do take it seriously, others see the tournament as a cash grab and nothing more. When they lose, they find easy cop-outs to diminish the competition’s importance, from logistics to “preseason.”

On average, the tournament has drawn 17,280 spectators through the round of 16, which at first glance doesn’t seem too shabby. However, crowds have been hit or miss throughout the tournament. We’ve seen massive turnouts, like the 50,675 fans at Levi’s Stadium for Chivas vs. San Jose and 46,080 for Tigres vs. Inter Miami at NRG Stadium, in addition to paltry crowds like the just over 1,000 for DC United vs. Santos in a group stage match on July 31.

With the tournament nearing its conclusion, many have asked why it hasn’t stuck.

No Messi, No Party

The biggest reason for the lack of attention is the absence of Lionel Messi. The Leagues Cup made a name for itself in 2023 because it was Messi’s first-ever MLS competition. It was the GOAT’s introduction to the MLS landscape.

The competition, plus Messi, garnered worldwide media attention. But in a summer that has featured the EUROs, Copa America, and the Summer Olympics, the Leagues Cup has been sandwiched in, with fans focusing on sporting events taking place elsewhere.

Messi’s recent injuries also did not help matters. After winning the Copa America with Argentina, the former Barcelona star returned quickly to Miami to be with his teammates. However, his ankle injury has seen him again become a spectator. A more talented and better-put-together Inter Miami side did well without him, but sadly, when it comes to Leagues Cup play, few have come out to watch. Now out of the tournament after losing to Columbus in the round of 16, Messi will have to wait until next season to make his Leagues Cup return.

The same can be said about poor attendance in Orlando, New England, both New York teams, and drops in historically strong markets like Seattle and Atlanta. However, not all is the fault of the Leagues Cup, as Atlanta United has fallen apart as a club since the days of Tata Martino, and fans are starting to stay away from the once-proud team.

It is still disheartening to see Inter Miami, one of the top teams in MLS this season with players like Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and young stars like Diego Gómez and Federico Redondo, play to a half-empty venue.

The Leagues Cup is still very much associated with one face — Messi’s. MLS, and yes, even Liga MX in future editions, must do a better job of making it about the competition, not just one or two players or a quick buck.

US Open Cup Fallout

Some fans have also turned away as a protest against MLS’s decision to pull out of the U.S. Open Cup. While this decision has come from supporters’ groups’ of MLS teams and die-hards, there isn’t really a correlation if a few thousand fans’ protests are the result of the little interest in the competition.

The fact that Apple TV does not report viewership numbers makes it very hard to determine if these matches are being watched by a wider audience. The Leagues Cup has a handful of games that predominantly feature Mexican clubs on Fox Sports, TUDN, and Univision, but this will hardly tell the full story.

Leaving Out an Audience

MLS Commissioner Don Garber has a dream that the Leagues Cup can be the answer to MLS’s struggle to win meaningful competitions like the CCC. Garber had mentioned in passing that he expected the Leagues Cup to grow to the point where more countries would participate, but seeing how many would want to share in the profits, it now seems very unlikely the Leagues Cup will feature clubs from nations like Argentina or Brazil.

That, in fact, can also be a major reason why many see the Leagues Cup as nothing more than an MLS vs. Liga MX competition. Despite Messi and MLS’s showcase of aging stars, fans of other teams or countries have no real reason to watch, let alone remember the competition is taking place.

In its second season with its current format, the Leagues Cup has felt too niche for the larger soccer audience. The legitimacy of the tournament’s format continues to come under question, even in Mexico, with every Liga MX team playing the competition away from its home stadium.

While MLS and its corporate executives will say the Leagues Cup is on the right track, the reality is that one year removed from Messi’s arrival in MLS, the competition lacks any real passion. Instead, it’s a prefabricated tournament designed to maximize profits through Liga MX teams.

Especially after MLS’s decision to pull out of the U.S. Open Cup, American club soccer’s oldest competition that also suffers from lacking levels of interest, the Leagues Cup is more about ROI than it is about goals.

For soccer purists, it’s just another modern day quick-buck effort by greedy executives to cash in on the passion or interest of fans. For others, it’s a nuisance of marketing or disruptions during a regular season.

If the Leagues Cup is proving something in its second season, it’s that it is another example of everything wrong with how soccer is viewed in the United States: a quick fix, niche, cash-grab product.

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