MLS and Liga MX have announced further details on the 2020 Leagues Cup, a joint competition between the two leagues. This year’s tournament will begin on July 21, with the eight MLS representatives hosting the eight Liga MX teams that qualify. The tournament will be broadcasted on the broader ESPN and Univision networks, though specifics on that front have not been announced.
As such, D.C. United will host a Liga MX opponent either on July 21 or 22. With games already scheduled for July 18 (home vs. Montreal Impact) and July 25 (at Toronto FC), United will be in something of a bind either way.
This year’s tournament will be seeded, meaning that United (MLS’s #6 seed) will face the Copa MX champion, which will be granted Liga MX’s #3 seed. Copa MX will conclude on April 15, and is down to the semifinals. Liga MX clubs CF Monterrey, Xolos de Tijuana, Deportivo Toluca, and FC Juarez are the last teams standing in that competition. However, Monterrey has already qualified for the Leagues Cup by winning the 2019 Clausura, and it is unclear whether the Copa MX runner-up will get the spot if Monterrey ends up winning that tournament as well.
MLS’s seeds, based on points in the 2019 standings and excluding Concacaf Champions League participants, are as follows:
- Philadelphia Union
- Real Salt Lake
- Minnesota United
- LA Galaxy
- Toronto FC
- D.C. United
- Portland Timbers
- New York Red Bulls
Following the Leagues Cup round of 16, the tournament will re-seed for the purpose of creating the most MLS vs. Liga MX matchups as possible. All MLS vs. Liga MX games will take place at the MLS club’s home venue. All-Liga MX pairings will be played at a neutral venue in the U.S., while MLS vs. MLS games will be played at the higher seed’s home.
If United advances, the quarterfinals are scheduled for August 4-5. The semifinals will take place on August 25-26, and the final is scheduled for September 16. In other words, in every instance United will have MLS regular season play on the weekend before and after their Leagues Cup matches on a Tuesday or Wednesday.