Major League Soccer and Liga MX are in talks to play a match every year between the champions of the two leagues, according to Steven Goff of the Washington Post. A Liga MX vs MLS championship would be just another chance for the Mexican league to flex its muscles at the expense of its northern neighbor.
MLS and Liga MX in talks about annual match between champions https://t.co/9actrOxLkm
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) January 30, 2018
Bragging rights between North America’s two biggest soccer leagues have been on the line many times before in various competitions. The two go at it regularly in the CONCACAF Champions League, which Liga MX clubs dominate. The North American SuperLiga previously provided head-to-head, tournament-style competition between the leagues from 2007-2010. Sports Illustrated reported in June the leagues were considering bringing back the SuperLiga, but reports Tuesday suggest it will be a two-team event instead of a full-on tournament.
According to Goff, a new Liga MX vs MLS competition would likely be a single-match affair, pitting last year’s MLS champion against Liga MX’s Clausura winner. The match would be played in September.
Liga MX has regularly proven its supremacy over MLS. In the Champions League, Mexican teams have won 12 straight championships. While some of that is down to MLS teams playing the initial rounds while still in preseason, the fact MLS has had two teams in the final in 15 years shows how far the league lags behind.
The SuperLiga was similar. In the four eight-team tournaments (four each league), MLS had one winner, New England in 2008.
The reason for this is fairly straightforward. Liga MX clubs invest far more money in their players than MLS clubs. The average Liga MX club has a total market value of about $42.04 million, according to TransferMarkt.com. The average MLS club’s total market value is about $22.48 million.
A Liga MX vs MLS competition could see Toronto play the Clausura champions in September. Photo: @GracieMgt | Twitter
If the two league champions do decide to play in September, at least it will be at a time when both clubs are in the middle of their respective seasons. However, either side could be much changed after at least one transfer window follows the team’s championship.
The event could begin as early as this year, meaning Toronto FC would be MLS’s first representative. Toronto’s total market value of $31.74 million, third-best in MLS, would rank 12th in Liga MX. But how great would it be to see Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore match up against Landon Donovan’s Leon?
We look forward to this Liga MX vs MLS match becoming a reality; we just hope MLS can keep it competitive.
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