So far, the Leagues Cup 2023 has been dominated by clubs from the United States. Of the 16 teams that have qualified for the round of 16, 11 represent the red, white and blue.
Only Tigres, Monterrey, Toluca, América and Querétaro maintain Mexico’s hopes of winning the international title.
The U.S. already has at least one team assured of a place in the semis, as the winners of Dallas-Inter Miami and Charlotte-Houston Dynamo meet in the quarterfinals.
In addition, two other places in the next round are already guaranteed for U.S. clubs: LAFC and Real Salt Lake will play for one of them, while Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls will play in the other all-American match in the round of 16.
It’s true that MLS‘ advantage stars with the number of participants, as 18 of the 47 clubs competing in the competition are from Liga MX and 29 from the U.S. league.
However, the teams from the land of Uncle Sam are not disappointing and have eliminated 13 Mexican teams during the tournament.
Now, U.S. clubs are looking to confirm their dominance in the final rounds of the Leagues Cup.
Three clashes between Americans and Mexicans could set the tone for the dispute for the trophy: Minnesota-Toluca, America-Nashville and Queretaro-New England Revolution.
Meanwhile, Tigres and Monterrey will face each other, which means another Mexican side will be sent packing.
Americans seek first title
With their dominance in this edition of the Leagues Cup, American clubs are the favorites to win the international tournament for the first time.
In 2019 and 2021, when the competition wasn’t yet considered official or endorsed by Concacaf, Cruz Azul and León were crowned champions.
The tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and replaced by the Leagues Cup Showcase in 2022.
In addition to the trophy, the Leagues Cup sees the top three places secure spots in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the new club competition that will replace the traditional Concacaf Champions League.
Securing all three spots would be an important step for the United States as they look to reverse Mexico’s dominance on the continent.
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