For the second time in about six weeks, the Seattle Sounders are taking a short break from league play in order to focus on another tournament. This time, it’s Leagues Cup.
While the tournament itself is technically six years old, the current format is completely new. The number of participating teams has been trimmed down a bit from recent editions and the group stage has been replaced by something simply called “Phase One”, with the net result being even more games pitting MLS against Liga MX.
Here’s what you need to know:
Can you please explain “Phase One”?
This is a good place to start since this is really the core of the changes that were made for this year. In the past, the tournament was broken up into a bunch of three-team groups. Since there were a bunch more MLS teams than Liga MX teams, that usually meant a lot of intra-MLS matches that on paper weren’t much different than regular-season games.
For instance, the Sounders played five Leagues Cup games last year and three of those were against MLS opponents. Making it even worse, all three of those intra-MLS games were against teams they also played twice in the regular season. It didn’t exactly feel special…
Smartly, I think, the format was given a massive reimagining this year. First, MLS reduced the number of participating teams from 29 last year to 18 this year, matching the number of teams from Liga MX. Not only did that balance the competition, but it also added an element of merit-based qualification (which is admittedly somewhat undermined by putting expansion San Diego FC in it).
In order to maximize the number of inter-league matchups, they employed a system somewhat borrowed from European competitions in which each of the two leagues were split into "East" and "West" regions and then placed into three tiers based on last year’s regular-season standings. Each team was then drawn against one opponent from each of the other league’s three tiers from the corresponding region.
Every one of those Phase One games will have a winner, too. If a team wins in regulation, that’s three points. If it’s tied at the end of regulation, the teams will each earn one point and play for a bonus point through a penalty shootout.
At the end of Phase One, the top four teams from each league will advance to the knockout phase.
Only 8 of 36 teams advance?!?
Yes. That’s the other big change for this year’s tournament. Whereas two-thirds of the teams advanced from the group stage in the previous format, less than one-quarter of the teams advance this year.
At least theoretically, a team could win all three of their Phase One games and fail to advance. Even if that doesn’t happen, it increases the stakes for every dropped point, and adds a reason to care about other games.
In the quarterfinal round, it will be all inter-league matchups, too. One thing to keep in mind is that the Knockout Phase will be played on midweek dates with league games on the weekend, which adds a complicating factor.
- Quarterfinals: Aug. 19-20
- Semifinals: Aug. 26-27
- Third Place: Aug. 31
- Final: Aug. 31
How does that look for the Sounders?
The Sounders were designated as one of the West Region's Tier 2 teams and were drawn against Cruz Azul (Tier 1), Club Tijuana (Tier 2) and Santos Laguna (Tier 3).
Cruz Azul adds a significant complicating factor, but otherwise it's not a particularly difficult draw. Even if the Sounders rotate their lineup, they should be able to win at least two of these games, especially since all three games are at home.
- Cruz Azul, as you may remember, just won Concacaf Champions Cup and beat the Sounders 4-1 on aggregate along the way. They have also been one of the top teams in Mexico over the previous two tournaments, claiming the most combined points in the 2024 Apertura and 2025 Clausura. The 2025 Apertura just started a few weeks ago, but they're 1-0-2 in that. As they are want to do, Cruz Azul actually added talent since then, picking up Argentinian central midfielder Jose Paradela on a transfer worth more than $10 million.
- Tijuana is coming off a disappointing Clausura in which they finished 13th and missed the playoffs entirely. But they also have one of the most exciting players in all of North America in 16-year-old playmaker Gilberto Mora, who just picked up an assist to help Mexico beat the United States in the Gold Cup final.
- Santos Laguna, once a Sounders bogey team, has fallen on hard times recently. They are coming off consecutive last-place finishes in Liga MX, winning just four games and posting a -39 goal-difference in the 2024 Apertura and 2025 Clausura. They did win their season-opener against Pumas a few weeks ago, but have now lost two straight.
Looking at the other groups, I'd say Cruz Azul is arguably the strongest Liga MX team, Tijuana is one of the weaker Tier 2 teams and Santos Laguna could be the worst team in the tournament. I think advancing with two wins is at least a possibility.
