HARRISON, N.J. (February 20, 2020) – The New York Red Bulls will compete in the 2020 Leagues Cup, between MLS and Liga MX, as announced today by Major League Soccer. The Red Bulls qualified for the Leagues Cup based on their overall finish in the MLS table last season.
The Leagues Cup, now in its second season, will expand to 16 teams, eight from MLS and eight from Liga MX. The tournament will begin July 21-22 with Round of 16 matches taking place across the U.S and Canada. The Quarterfinals are slated for August 4-5, and the Semifinals later that month on August 25-26. The Leagues Cup Final is on Wednesday, September 16.
“We look forward to entering another continental competition and facing off against some of the best teams from Liga MX,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett. “We want to win every trophy we can, and this tournament gives us an opportunity to really test ourselves within Concacaf.”
The Red Bulls are no stranger to competing with Liga MX, having faced Chivas Guadalajara, Club Tijuana and Santos Laguna in the Concacaf Champions League in the last few seasons.
“Our close collaboration with Liga MX continues to grow, and the expanded Leagues Cup will take it to a new level,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “When we started our partnership with Liga MX two years ago, we knew that we had the opportunity to create something unique and special for soccer fans. Leagues Cup is a perfect example of how we are working together to grow the sport in North America.”
The participating Liga MX clubs will qualify through sustained performances across the 2019-20 Apertura and Clausura seasons – specifically the Apertura 2019 and Clausura 2020 Champions, the Champion of Copa MX, and the following five top-ranked teams in the combined 2019-20 table. As of today, the Apertura 2019 Champion, CF Monterrey, is the first team to qualify from Liga MX for Leagues Cup 2020.
“The first edition of Leagues Cup was hugely satisfying. It was a tournament that gave us many stories to tell, that helped us get closer to our fans in the United States, and that gave us a spectacular Final in Las Vegas. And of course, we’re proud that Cruz Azul was the first Champion,” said Enrique Bonilla, LIGA MX Executive President. “The future of Leagues Cup will be even more special, not only because eight more teams will participate in this edition, but also because the rivalry between the leagues is growing, which in turn will create more emotion and higher expectations for fans in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.”
New for the 2020 edition of the tournament will be the inclusion of a draw to determine the matchups between clubs from both leagues ahead of the Round of 16. MLS and LIGA MX teams will be seeded and drawn to ensure the most competitive matches, with a second draw ahead of the Quarterfinals, to guarantee the most amount of interleague play.
Confirmed LIGA MX teams will be announced at the conclusion of the current 2020 Clausura tournament, along with details of the draw and competition matters.
Similar to the 2019 edition, all matches between MLS and LIGA MX clubs will be played in the home market of the MLS team. In the event of a same-league matchup in the later stages of the tournament, the inter-MLS games will be hosted at the MLS market of the higher-seeded team. Matches featuring two LIGA MX teams, as well as the Leagues Cup Final, will be played in a neutral US-based venue to be announced.
The tournament will be broadcast on the Univision and ESPN family of networks in the United States, TSN and TVA in Canada, and Televisa in Mexico.
Leagues Cup™ 2020 Dates
Times TBD / * Subject to change
July 21-22 – Round of 16
Philadelphia Union vs. LIGA MX TBD (Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, PA)
Real Salt Lake vs. LIGA MX TBD (Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT)
Minnesota United FC vs. LIGA MX TBD (Allianz Field, St. Paul, MN)
LA Galaxy vs. LIGA MX TBD (Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA)
Toronto FC vs. LIGA MX TBD (BMO Field, Toronto, Canada)
D.C. United vs. LIGA MX TBD (Audi Field, Washington D.C.)
Portland Timbers vs. LIGA MX TBD (Providence Park, Portland, OR)
New York Red Bulls vs. LIGA MX TBD (Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ)
August 4-5 – Quarterfinals
Quarterfinal 1 - TBD vs. TBD
Quarterfinal 2 - TBD vs. TBD
Quarterfinal 3 - TBD vs. TBD
Quarterfinal 4 - TBD vs. TBD
August 25-26 - Semifinals
Semifinal 1 - TBD vs. TBD
Semifinal 2 - TBD vs. TBD
Wednesday, September 16
Final
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer – celebrating its 25th Season in 2020 – features 26 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, in addition to future expansion teams in Austin, St. Louis, Sacramento, and Charlotte. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
About Liga MX
Liga MX is Mexican soccer’s first division, comprised of 18 clubs throughout the country and headquartered in a new sporting complex in Toluca, México. Visit www.LigaMX.net for more information.
