A lot has happened in the world of soccer since the 2024 Leagues Cup. Just in the past few weeks, the summer of soccer has been in full swing in the U.S., with the Gold Cup wrapped up and the Club World Cup doing the same Sunday.
So, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t recall every moment of the 2024 Leagues Cup. But it was a fascinating tournament that not only had many great moments but also one that sets things up nicely for 2025 when MLS and Liga MX clubs renew their rivalries this summer.
The tournament ended with a stunning final. Cucho Hernandez scored a long-range effort to break a 1-1 deadlock in the 92nd minute of the deciding match with LAFC, then set up Jacen Russell-Rowe on a counter-attack to seal the title victory minutes later and give the Crew a 3-1 win.
Hernandez now is scoring goals for Real Betis, but the Crew remain a top team in MLS and are preparing for a showdown with reigning Liga MX champion Toluca in their 2025 Leagues Cup opener before contests against Puebla and Club León.
The Crew’s win secured them a first-round bye in the Concacaf Champions Cup, with the other two spots going to runner-up LAFC and third-place going to the Colorado Rapids thanks to a penalty shootout win. That capped a sterling campaign from goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who also won a quarterfinal shootout that knocked out Club América and put the Rapids into the final four.
The Crew aren’t the only former Leagues Cup champ looking to once again lift the two-bowled trophy. Lionel Messi starred as Inter Miami lifted the 2023 Leagues Cup, but their title defense was cut short in a thriller against the Crew last season. Matías Rojas scored early, and Diego Gomez doubled the advantage in the 62nd minute. But the Crew scored three goals in 13 minutes - including a double by Diego Rossi - to come all the way back and knock Miami out of the competition.
This year, Inter Miami has contests with Atlas, Necaxa and Pumas, and they’ll hope they finish in the top four of the MLS table to get back to the quarterfinals and try to win the whole thing once again.
With MLS teams having secured all three of the Concacaf Champions Cup places on the line in both competitions, this year will no doubt see a number of Liga MX representatives eager to break up that American dominance and earn a podium place.
The format, which guarantees four Liga MX sides in the quarterfinals, should provide them a boost, even with all matches taking place on U.S. or Canadian soil. In the two prior tournaments, two Liga MX teams made the quarterfinals each time, with Monterrey getting to the semis but falling in that match and the third-place game in 2023.
There were more great moments than just the final and the CCC places getting decided. Mazatlán had one of its most successful moments ever since coming into existence in 2020. The Cañoneros got past D.C. United in the Round of 32 and then upset Cruz Azul in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16. Once there, they again forced a penalty shootout in a 1-1 draw with the Philadelphia Union, but were unable to out-duel the Philadelphia Union. That echoed Queretaro’s joyous underdog run to the 2023 quarterfinals, which also was ended by the Union.
Other teams will be eager to reverse their Leagues Cup fortunes and try to experience success in this tournament for the first time. Chivas enjoyed hub rights but fell in a penalty shootout to the San Jose Earthquakes at Levi’s Stadium despite a stunning late goal from Roberto Alvarado. They again forced a penalty shootout in the second match, with Cade Cowell scoring, then converting the first penalty. But the eventual MLS Cup champions the LA Galaxy secured the shootout win, eliminating the Guadalajara side from the competition. They exited the 2023 tournament with no points in the group stage.
Tijuana is looking for its first-ever Leagues Cup point, going into last year’s group with regional rival LAFC and the Vancouver Whitecaps but coming out without a victory. Atlanta United also will be eager to turn things around in the competition after failing to get out of the group in 2023 and 2024. This season, it will be about performing well in games against Necaxa, Pumas and Atlas, currently led by former Five Stripes boss Gonzalo Pineda.
History always provides good context, but especially in a sport that evolves and changes as quickly as soccer given the number of international transfers and shifts in form, a new story will be written this summer.
We don’t know what that story will be, but we can be sure it will be another tournament that stays in the memory because of the cross-league moments, which 2025 will have more of than ever.
