As changes are announced for the 2024 competition, ex-USMNT star DaMarcus Beasley feels the defending champions can't afford not to repeat
The 2023 Leagues Cup was a sight to behold from its very start. Fans from all around the world watched as Lionel Messi marked his Inter Miami debut in the most outrageous way possible; the soon-to-be eight-time Ballon d'Or winner stepped up in the 94th minute against Cruz Azul and wrapped a free-kick into the top corner to secure a 2-1 win for his new team.
That was the beginning of a genuine Cinderella story run for the team with the fewest points in MLS at the time, as Miami proceeded to win the inaugural edition of the tournament, led by their new Argentine superstar.
Messi's 10-goal tournament earned him MVP, the Golden Boot and secured a first-ever trophy for the David Beckham-fronted team, and lifted the status of what was a brand-new tournament to truly unexpected levels.
GettyWhat is the Leagues Cup?
The Leagues Cup is North America's newest top-level men's soccer competition that pits all 47 teams from MLS and Liga MX against one another.. The two respective leagues both stop their regular season to compete in this in-season tournament, with players and teams taking a break from the domestic campaign to reach for glory.
The top-three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, while the winner is handed an automatic place in the last-16 of the continental tournament.
Messi and Inter Miami won the 2023 edition, though it will look different next time its played in 2024…
AdvertisementBiggest changes
In the 2024 edition of the Leagues Cup, two major new additions arrive in the form of a three-tiered rankings system for all teams, while, select top-ranked Liga MX teams will be given hub privileges.
Some unique features remain, like the Leagues Cup no-tie format, which will see games head directly to penalty kicks if they end regulation at a stalemate. Each club will receive one point for the draw, but the winner of the shootout will earn a second.
The three-tiered ranking system will take into account all 34 regular-season matches from the 2023 MLS calendar, and the cumulative 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura to determine what tier each club sits in. All 47 teams, excluding the two reigning champions from each respective league [Columbus Crew and Club America], are formed into three groups of 15 teams.
In the group stage, one club from each tier will be paired with each other to ensure fair pairings, while also being split into an East vs West format. There will be seven groups in the East and eight in the West, with the two reigning champions receiving an automatic bye into the knockout round of 32.
The hub privileges will see the Liga MX champion and the top-three ranked Mexican clubs rewarded, which includes minimizing travel and and awarding them with hosting rights at pre-determined venues as the home team. As a result, Club America (champion, group stage bye) have hosting rights through the semifinals, CF Monterrey through the knockout round of 16, Chivas Guadalajara through the round of 32 and Tigres through the group stage.
The pre-determined venues will be announced at a later date.
West 1CF Monterrey, Pumas & Austin FCEast 1FC Cincinnati, New York City FC, Club QueretaroWest 2Chivas e Guadalajara, San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles GalaxyEast 2Orlando City, Atletico De San Luis, CF MontrealWest 3St. Louis CITY SC, FC Dallas, FC JuarezEast 3Club Tigres, Club Puebla, Inter Miami CFWest 4Toluca, Sporting Kansas City, Chicago FireEast 4Philadelphia Union, Charlotte FC, Cruz AzulWest 5Club Leon, Portland Timbers, Colorado RapidsEast 5New England Revolution, Nashville SC, Mazatlan FCWest 6Seattle Sounders, Minnesota United, Club NecaxaEast 6Club Pachuca, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FCWest 7Los Angeles Football Club, Vancouver Whitecaps, Club TijuanaEast 7Atlanta United, Club Santos Laguna, D.C. UnitedWest 8Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake, Atlas FC@InterMiamiCFExpectations for Messi & Miami
Miami hope to repeat their 2023 success, and arguably have an even stronger squad this time around having added ex-Barcelona great, and former teammate of Messi's, Luis Suarez and recent MLS Cup winner Julian Gressel to their ranks. With Tata Martino at the helm and Messi leading their attack, ex-U.S. men's national team star DaMarcus Beasley believes that their XI is now made to win championships – again, again and again, and that includes the 2024 Leagues Cup.
"I think for them, if they don't win it’s a disappointment because of their mentality, where they've come from, from Barcelona, they always win the Champions League, La Liga, all these different trophies and tournaments that they've won, they will want to win every single cup that they can, it’s as simple as that. So if they don't win, it'd be a bit of a disappointment," Beasley told GOAL in an exclusive interview.
"As a third party looking in, with the names on their back, and the pressure that they have, will it be a failure if they don't win it again? I think so. I think we have to put pressure on clubs that have that type of quality in their team. They're putting everything they can into this year, obviously bringing in Suarez as he’s still playing at a high level and scoring a lot of goals. So I mean, they're coming to win. They're not coming on vacation.
"You saw how the three of them – [Jordi] Alba, [Sergio] Busquets and Messi performed – in that last half of last season, including the Leagues Cup, so this is not going to be a cakewalk for any team, for any club, including Miami."
@ChivasKey matchups
The 2024 group-stage draw has created a number of incredible matchups in both the East and West division. However, there were two that stood out to Beasley, who told GOAL that he was incredibly "excited" to see them play out.
The first sees USMNT starlet Cade Cowell and Chivas USA being paired up with his former club, the San Jose Earthquakes. The 19-year-old recently completed a historic $4m move to the Mexican team, and now has expectations to continue his astronomical rise.
"I think that's going to be huge, I want to see how he reacts. You know, how he's how he's welcomed back into San Jose with their fans," Beasley said. "I think that's going to be a really big talking point. So, just his journey and how he integrates himself into Liga MX in a short period, and then going right back to playing against his old club is going to be something to watch, and I'm sure a lot of fans will want to see how he does in that match."
The second, of course, pits Miami against a team that continues to be the dagger in Concacaf competition for MLS clubs: Tigres. Andre Pierre Gignac and co. are set to take on the Herons in the group stage, with the Mexican heavyweights being the No.6 ranked team in the tournament. Despite Miami's 2023 triumph, they find themselves ranked 40th out of 47 teams due to their regular-season finish last MLS campaign, and as a result, fans will get to witness a standout encounter.
"I think that's one of the best and most favorite matches that you can get," Beasley said. "You've got two big clubs and a lot of big names in both clubs. From the history of Tigres and what Inter Miami is trying to do in their short stint being an MLS club is beautiful. I mean, this is what football fans want to see. You want to see the best go against the best, it doesn't matter which league or which country they're from. So being able to watch Tigres against Inter Miami will be an amazing, exciting match.
"I hope everyone's fit, so no coach, no club can say ‘Well, we didn't have this player, we didn't have that player'. No excuses. You want to see a beautiful match, and I think that is something that Leagues Cup can bring… it's definitely one match I want to watch."