SEATTLE, WASH. – Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX today announced details regarding the return of Leagues Cup in 2021, the official annual single-elimination tournament that will again feature clubs from MLS and Mexico’s topflight league. Sounders FC is one of the four qualified MLS teams for this year’s tournament, alongside Sporting Kansas City, Orlando City SC and New York City FC.
Leagues Cup returns after a hiatus due to the pandemic and in 2021 will feature four clubs from each league in a single-elimination format. The participating MLS clubs, which will host the quarterfinal matches, are the top two teams from each conference based on the 2020 regular season standings that are not scheduled to participate in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
The tournament, to be played in its entirety in the U.S., is scheduled to begin the week of August 9 with quarterfinal matches. The semifinals are slated for the week of September 13, and the Leagues Cup Final, to be played in a neutral venue, is scheduled for the week of September 20.
LIGA MX teams will be announced at the conclusion of the current 2021 Clausura tournament, along with other schedule, competition and venue details. The competition is being broadcast on the Univision and ESPN family of networks in the United States, TSN and TVA in Canada, and Televisa in Mexico. Concacaf recently announced that Leagues Cup will have a qualifying slot for the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, starting with the new format in 2023.
This marks Sounders FC’s first appearance in Leagues Cup. The Rave Green are 4-8-2 all-time against Liga MX sides, all coming in Concacaf Champions League play. On August 23, 2011, the club’s 1-0 win over Monterrey marked just the second time an MLS side won a match in Mexico. Sounders FC became the first MLS team to eliminate a Mexican club in the Knockout Stage after advancing past Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals of the 2012-2013 tournament, featuring a 3-1 second-leg win with historic goals from DeAndre Yedlin and Djimi Traore. Sounders FC has also faced off with Liga MX giants Club América, Chivas de Guadalajara and Santos Laguna in Champions League action, in addition to international friendly matches against Chivas, Club Tijuana and Club Necaxa.
Seattle Sounders FC is set to open the 2021 MLS regular season at home on Friday, April 16 against Western Conference side Minnesota United FC at Lumen Field (6:30 p.m. PT / FS1). The matchup pits the two defending Western Conference finalists against each other, after the Rave Green earned a 3-2 comeback win in last year’s conference championship fixture. Full dates and broadcast details of the 2021 MLS season schedule will be announced at a later date.
