By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 20, 2019) US Soccer Players - The first-ever edition of the Leagues Cup, a competition designed to pit Major League Soccer clubs against clubs from Liga MX of Mexico, came to a rousing if somewhat confounding, conclusion on Wednesday. First, a hearty congratulations to Cruz Azul, the tournament's inaugural winner. The 2-1 victory for La Maquina over Tigres . . .
Tigres and Cruz Azul advance in the Leagues Cup
The soccer news starts with the Leagues Cup. Tigres advanced 5-3 on penalties over Club America with their game finishing 2-2 in regulation at BBVA Stadium. Tigres went up in the 14th minute from an own-goal with Andres Ibarguen equalizing from the penalty spot in the 36th. Ibarguen scored again in the 83rd minute. Club America went a man down in the 90th minute with a red card to Roger Martinez. . . .
MLS goes 0 for 2 in the Leagues Cup
The soccer news starts with the conclusion of the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Leagues Cup. The Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake exited the tournament, with the LA Galaxy the only MLS team to advance to the semifinals. LA plays Cruz Azul in Carson and Club America faces Tigres in Houston on August 20. Club America advanced 6-5 on penalties after drawing 1-1 with Houston in regulation in front . . .
The Galaxy’s correct response to the Leagues Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jul 24, 2019) US Soccer Players - Over the years, the LA Galaxy has had several outside competitions get in the way of its annual quest for an MLS title. Regular tournaments like the US Open Cup and Concacaf Champions League joined with short-lived tournaments like the SuperLiga and the Pan-Pacific Championship. Now the Galaxy finds itself with yet another . . .
Chicago loses, LA wins in Leagues Cup
MLS had one team advance on the opening night of the 2019 Leagues Cup alongside one overarching issue. Both the Chicago Fire and the LA Galaxy tested their depth against first choice Liga MX competition and for the Galaxy the gambit worked. Chicago lost 2-0 to Cruz Azul in front of an announced crowd of 14.213 at SeatGeek Stadium. Roberto Alvarado scored in the 43rd minute with Elias Hernandez . . .
League first in MLS
It took Major League Soccer the day before the debut of the Leagues Cup to pull an MLS. While Liga MX confirmed that they will use first choice lineups and treat the new tournament seriously, MLS is relying on coaching discretion. No surprise, that means teams that did nothing to get to this tournament other than accept an invitation are responding accordingly. The LA Times' Kevin Baxter reported . . .
The Leagues Cup matters for MLS and Liga MX
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The USMNT U-17s in World Cup Group D
We start the soccer news with FIFA conducting the draw for the U-17 World Cup in Brazil in October and November. The USMNT is in Group D along with Senegal, Japan, and the Netherlands. The USMNT finished 2nd at the Concacaf U-17 Championship, losing 2-1 to Mexico on May 16 in Bradenton. Senegal initially finished 3rd in Group B at the 2019 U-17 Cup of Nations in April. They exited the tournament . . .
The Leagues Cup project asks an old question
The soccer news starts with the latest joint competition between MLS and Liga MX. The Leagues Cup starts on July 23, less than two months after MLS confirmed that the tournament would happen. It's the latest attempt for games that sort of count between MLS and Liga MX teams outside of the Concacaf Champions League. MLS and Liga MX already have the Campeones Cup, the meeting between their league . . .
