2024 Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage schedule & bracket revealed
The Leagues Cup 2024 Group Stage schedule, hub venues and bracket were announced Thursday, setting the stage for the second edition of this Concacaf-sanctioned competition that sees all 47 clubs – 18 from LIGA MX and 29 from MLS – compete in a World Cup-style tournament from July 26 to August 25.
Messi, Suárez lift Inter Miami into Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals
Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez have Inter Miami CF marching onto the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. The forwards led the way in Wednesday's 3-1 Leg 2 win over Nashville SC at Chase Stadium. Inter Miami will meet reigning MLS Supporters' Shield winners FC Cincinnati or Liga MX powerhouse CF Monterrey in the CCC quarterfinals (held in early April).
Messi questionable for visit to D.C. United
Lionel Messi exited Inter Miami’s 3-1 win over Nashville in the 50th minute. Tata Martino later revealed that Messi’s departure early in the second half was not planned, but the product of discomfort in his right leg. The injury concern, combined with IMCF’s hectic March schedule, puts Messi’s availability for this Saturday’s league visit to undefeated D.C. United in question.
CCC Round of 16 concludes
New England Revolution take on Alajuelense tonight at 8 pm ET and FC Cincinnati travel to face CF Monterrey at 10:15 pm ET. The Revs hold a 4-0 lead, while Cincinnati have to overcome a 1-0 deficit.
USMNT Nations League Roster announced
FC Cincinnati center back Miles Robinson and Inter Miami CF goalkeeper Drake Callender are part of the United States' 23-man roster with eyes set on a Concacaf Nations League three-peat later this month.
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Who? Man, probably a Liga MX team. Not to be a total bummer this morning, but it’s tough not to be down on MLS teams winning Concacaf competitions after the last couple of weeks. It’s not that anyone forgot that Concacaf Champions competitions were a bear. It’s just that you’re always hoping for something a little more.
But maybe the Leagues Cup schedule release inspires a little confidence? Inter Miami won an all-MLS Leagues Cup final last year. after all. Yeah, the deck is stacked in favor of the MLS sides considering Liga MX sides are playing away from home (among other things). Concacaf Champions competitions haven’t ever been even though. And there are reports that small but encouraging roster rules changes could be on the way this summer. That should provide another boost to MLS teams for the short and long term.
It’s at least something, right? The bottom line is, currently, MLS teams just won't be able to spend as much as some Liga MX sides. Money matters in this sport. And Inter Miami have been able to stay within the roster rules while injecting more cash into their squad than any MLS team in history. It’s why they have a genuine shot at winning CCC and why they have a genuine shot at repeating as Leagues Cup champions.
Now we know what that path might look like. Kind of. We’re so far away from August that it’s nearly impossible to know how difficult things might be, but we can say for sure that the Herons didn’t exactly get a gentle draw as a reward for winning the first edition of the competition. Their finish in the MLS standings last year ensured that. If they want to repeat as champions, they’ll have to survive a group with Liga MX sides Puebla and Tigres. Sure, Puebla isn’t the juggernaut Tigres is. But a loss to Tigres could make every moment a critical one against Puebla, and soccer is weird.
If the Herons do advance though, they’ll be paired with someone from the East’s Group 6. That group includes a version of the Pachuca side that just pummeled Philadelphia in a way we haven’t seen Philadelphia get pummeled in a long time, a Red Bulls side that might genuinely be one of the best in the East, and a Toronto side that’s outperformed expectations early in the year. From there, you could be set to face Columbus, who have a group stage bye after winning the league. Then maybe a team from that stout East Group 6.
Look, you can draw a few different paths here and they’re all remarkably difficult. Cincinnati, Columbus, Orlando, Philadelphia, Cruz Azul, Pachuca, Red Bulls, Atlanta, Tigres, they’re all somewhere in this bracket. And they could be the ones to derail Inter Miami’s chances. If anyone has a chance to survive that gauntlet, it might be the Herons. But in the end, even a few months out, it’s hard not to pick the field, especially when parts of the field are spending more than the rest.
- Bradley Wright-Phillips (!!) explained why D.C. United's Mateusz Klich and six other players deserve more attention.
- New Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay has taken on a new challenge.
- Inter Miami’s Champions Cup dream continued.
- Lorenzo Insigne has narrowly won a second straight AT&T Goal of the Matchday award.
- The USMNT Nations League roster found a middle ground.
Good luck out there. Know who you’re up against.
