The Leagues Cup was born amid strong criticism and confusion among MLS and Liga MX fans.
It is easy to find messages on social media from fans dissatisfied with the idea of stopping games of both leagues for a month to make way for the experiment endorsed by Concacaf.
On Tuesday, the experiment will continue at Toyota Stadium when FC Dallas hosts Necaxa.
“It’s something I have to get used to,” said FC Dallas coach Nico Estevéz on stopping league games to play the Leagues Cup.
FC Dallas drew their first tournament match 2-2 against Charlotte at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, but the visiting team took the win in a penalty shootout.
Tuesday will be Necaxa’s first game in the Legues Cup.
Necaxa is one of the oldest teams in Mexico; it was founded in 1923 in the city of Puebla, and soon after, it started playing in Mexico City. Currently, the team plays in Aguascalientes.
Necaxa has won the Mexican League championship three times and the Cup Tournament eight times.
Estevez said he understands why the MLS is willing to stop its league tournament when more than half of the current season’s games have already been played.
“It is the idiosyncrasy of MLS, it tries new things to promote soccer in this country, that has been a large part of its success,” Estévez said.
The Leagues Cup is made up of 15 groups in which 29 MLS teams and 17 from Mexico are distributed.
The top two finishers in each group advance to the next round, where single-elimination matches will be played.
LAFC (MLS) and Pachuca (Liga MX) automatically qualified for the next round as they were the best teams in their respective leagues last season.
Despite the criticism that the Leagues Cup faces, Estévez believes that the tournament represents a good opportunity that will benefit all MLS teams.
“It is important to play this type of competition because it is very enriching and helps the growth of all our teams,” said Estévez.
“Playing against teams that play different soccer than the one we play here in the United States is attractive. Mexican teams play in a more vertical style and represent a different challenge,” Estévez said.
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