I have to admit, even I had my doubts. After the fun, memorable and bold Leagues Cup in 2023, could the 2024 tournament really live up to what we saw last year? After enjoying a week full of stunning late equalizers, tense penalty shootouts and audacious attempts at skill moves or goals, I’m convinced. These teams are going for it again.
Welcome back, Leagues Cup.
There is a lot of talk around the tournament. That’s going to happen any time someone tries something different. Leagues Cup’s declaration is a bold one: It is More Than Soccer.
Yet, it was a bar it cleared last year. That much was obvious when Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman busted out a magic act to try and gain a competitive edge against the Vancouver Whitecaps, earlier in the tournament when those same Whitecaps had played a 16-round shootout, and when Lionel Messi started the tournament with a free-kick goal in front of LeBron James and Kim Kardashian, then ended it by propelling Inter Miami to the crown in a penalty shootout win over Nashville SC.
LeBron is otherwise occupied this summer but he’s missing quite a show. Through the first 20 matches of the Leagues Cup, we’ve had 50 goals, tracking to once again surpass the average goal mark in MLS or LIGA MX play even as it lags slightly behind last year’s frenetic scoring pace of 3.26 goals per match.
Perhaps that’s because it’s hardly just the attackers who are dazzling. Minnesota United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair helped the Loons overcome playing most of the match a man down by making 16 saves in Tuesday’s contest to set a Leagues Cup record and help the team to a 1-0 victory over Necaxa.
Goalkeepers are perhaps the unexpected stars of the tournament, even with plenty of scoring strikes still to be celebrated. Austin FC’s Stefan Cleveland made a penalty save on Pumas forward Guillermo Martinez to keep the MLS squad ahead 3-2 deep into stoppage time and avoid a penalty shootout decider even as Pumas furiously rallied against a 10-man Austin team. Fellow Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver was one of the most exuberant in celebration on the bench, with cameras capturing his joy at seeing his teammate rise to the occasion.
Just a few nights later at Q2 Stadium, Stuver went from cheerleader to shot-stopper, making six saves in a 2-0 win over Monterrey. The results mean Austin tops a Leagues Cup group that includes two LIGA MX squads currently in the top five in the table. That it comes a year after Austin failed to get out of a group that also included two Mexican teams that were further down the standings only makes it that much sweeter for Josh Wolff’s squad.
The San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t avoid the shootout against a Mexican grande, however. On Saturday night, it was Mexico international Roberto Alvarado popping up near the penalty spot to finish a move down the left and bring Chivas level to 1-1.
But Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel stopped Alvarado’s subsequent penalty and Cade Cowell put his attempt on his former team over the bar as the Quakes took the points in the tournament that has no ties.
That sent the crowd of 50,675 at Levi’s Stadium, a Leagues Cup record for best attendance, home with mixed emotions, many of them having come to support the Guadalajara side but others rolling with the Quakes.
Last night, too, had a goalkeeper come up big. After conceding a pair of late goals, the 22-year-old Canadian Isaac Boehmer held his nerve in the bright lights of a penalty shootout to secure a win for the Vancouver Whitecaps over LAFC and, perhaps, set up a scenario for them to finish first in the West 7 group.
We’re only at the halfway mark of the group stage. Some of the most famous teams in both leagues are yet to even kick off their competitions. Even so, that mix of fans supporting both teams, the vibe that something strange, something funky, something unique just might happen has returned. The tournament format really does encourage teams to go for bold moments, to push for outrageous goals, and to try something out even amidst the tension of a penalty shootout.
Leagues Cup is back, and it’s showing the doubters — myself included — that it once again has the juice to be as enjoyable or better than last time around.
