One month from now, Sporting Kansas City will dive into a single-elimination tournament featuring top clubs from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s LIGA MX.
The rival leagues announced today the participants, bracket and schedule for the 2021 Leagues Cup, a premier international competition that will kick off in mid-August with the quarterfinals and conclude in mid-September with the semifinals and neutral-site final.
The Leagues Cup may not hold top-of-mind awareness among casual supporters just yet, but there is plenty to be excited about as Sporting Kansas City prepares to pursue its first international trophy in club history.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the 2021 Leagues Cup.
1. Who is Sporting playing in the quarterfinals?
Manager Peter Vermes’ side will host either Club Leon or Chivas in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Aug. 10 at Children’s Mercy Park. The marquee matchup will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and be shown live nationally on ESPN2 and TUDN.
2. When will Sporting learn its quarterfinal opponent?
On July 18 when Club Leon faces Cruz Azul in the 2021 Campeon de Campeones, a game featuring Mexico’s reigning Apertura and Clausura champions. If Club Leon wins the match, Sporting will host Chivas in the tournament’s opening round and Club Leon will participate in the 2021 Campeones Cup. Should Club Leon lose to Cruz Azul, it will travel to Children’s Mercy Park as the quarterfinal opposition.
3. How can fans secure Leagues Cup tickets?
Tickets for the Leagues Cup quarterfinal showdown are included in Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Member packages. STMs will have access to an exclusive 24-hour pre-sale for additional tickets to the match beginning Thursday, July 8, at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets for the match will become available to the general public Friday, July 9, at 10 a.m. CT via SeatGeek.com.
4. How does the Leagues Cup work?
The 2021 Leagues Cup will see four MLS clubs matched up against four LIGA MX teams in the quarterfinals, which will unfold from Aug. 10-12. The tournament will be played in its entirety in the United States, with the semifinals slated for Sept. 14-15 and the Leagues Cup Final, to be played at a neutral venue announced in the coming weeks, scheduled for Sept. 22. Further details, including semifinal venues and kickoff times, will be announced following the quarterfinals.
5. Why is Sporting in the Leagues Cup?
As announced in March, the participating MLS teams in Leagues Cup are the top two finishers from each conference based on the 2020 MLS regular season standings that did not participate in the 2021 Scotiabank Champions League. By this criterion, Sporting joined Orlando City SC, Seattle Sounders FC and New York City FC as the MLS representatives in the tournament.
6. How were the LIGA MX participants chosen for Leagues Cup?
Similarly, LIGA MX teams joining the 2021 edition of the competition are the top four teams from the combined Apertura 2020 and Clausura 2021 Mexican League regular season standings that did not qualify for the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
7. Why does Leagues Cup matter?
Sporting will be taking the field in a competitive tournament involving elite Mexican clubs. LIGA MX has held a decisive upper hand on MLS in the Concacaf Champions League, although MLS clubs have begun to show signs of swinging the balance of power. If Vermes’ men can secure their first-ever international trophy and knock off a few Mexican teams in the process, it would be an emphatic statement of intent for Sporting and one of the club’s greatest on-field accomplishments.
Beyond that, Concacaf announced earlier this year that Leagues Cup will have a qualifying slot to the Concacaf Champions League, starting with the new format in 2023, positioning Leagues Cup as an important part of the North American soccer landscape.
8. How can fans watch Leagues Cup?
The competition will be broadcast on Univision and ESPN networks and digital platforms in the United States, TSN and TVA Sports in Canada, and TUDN in Mexico. The fact that Sporting’s opening-round matchup will be televised live on ESPN2 underscores the relevance of the event.
9. What should fans know about Club Leon and Chivas?
Club Leon won its most recent of eight league titles in December 2020, finishing atop the fall season standings with a 12-1-4 record before eliminating Puebla, Chivas and Pumas in the playoffs.
The most popular team in Mexico and a 12-time first division champion, Chivas notably won the 2018 Concacaf Champions League with current Sporting Kansas City forward Alan Pulido leading its attack. The star striker transferred from Chivas to Sporting ahead of the 2020 season and faces a potential reunion with his former club in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
10. How often do Mexican clubs visit Children’s Mercy Park?
Not very often. Aug. 10 will mark the first time Sporting has welcomed a LIGA MX foe since April 2019 when Manager Peter Vermes’ side advanced to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals. Sporting are 2-1-0 in competitive home matches against Mexican opposition at Children’s Mercy Park, including wins over Cruz Azul (2013-14 CCL quarterfinals) and Deportivo Toluca FC (2019 CCL round of 16) and a loss to CF Monterrey (2019 CCL semifinals).
