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Sporting Kansas City will host LIGA MX heavyweights Club Leon in the 2021 Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday at Children's Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT with tickets available on SeatGeek.com and national coverage on ESPN2, TUDN and the ESPN app. Listeners can also catch the game locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM, while the Sporting KC mobile app will provide additional in-game updates.
Leagues Cup is an annual single-elimination tournament that will again feature premier clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top division and build upon the growing rivalry between both leagues. The edition will see four MLS clubs matched up against four LIGA MX teams in the quarterfinals, which will unfold Tuesday through Thursday of this week.
The tournament will be played in its entirety in the United States, with the semifinals slated for Sept. 14-15 and the Leagues Cup Final, to be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, scheduled for Sept. 22.
With plenty to be excited about on Tuesday night, here are five things to know about the match.
1. Leagues Cup Rundown
The Leagues Cup is a single-elimination tournament involving top clubs from MLS and LIGA MX. The inaugural edition in 2019 concluded with current Liga MX champions Cruz Azul defeating Tigres in the final. After taking a pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition returns this year with four teams each from MLS and LIGA MX squaring off with hopes of lifting the tournament trophy on Sept. 22 in Las Vegas.
Qualification for the 2021 Leagues Cup was based on performances during each league’s previous regular season.
- MLS: New York City FC, Orlando City SC, Sporting Kansas City, Seattle Sounders FC
- Liga MX: Tigres UANL, Pumas UNAM, Club León, Santos Laguna
2. How the Leagues Cup Works
The bracket features an MLS side against a Liga MX side in four pairings, with quarterfinal winners graduating to a semifinal, and then those winners facing off in the final. The MLS teams will host each of the quarterfinal matches.
The four quarterfinal matches will get underway on Aug. 10:
- Sporting KC vs. Leon | Tuesday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m. CT (ESPN2, TUDN, TSN)
- Seattle Sounders vs. Tigres | Tuesday, Aug. 10, 9 p.m. CT (ESPN2, TUDN, TSN)
- NYCFC vs. Pumas | Wednesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m. CT (ESPN+, TUDN, TSN)
- Orlando City vs. Santos | Thursday, Aug. 12, 6 p.m. CT (ESPN+, TUDN, TSN)
The semifinals will take place on Sept. 14 and 15, and the final is booked for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. CT.
3. What's at Stake?
The eight teams will be battling for a chance to lift the imposing Leagues Cup trophy, which weighs in at 22 pounds and measures approximately 16.5 inches in height. The trophy features stars, maple leaves and pre-Hispanic motifs, symbols representing the United States, Canada and Mexico respectively. It was designed by both leagues and produced by Mexican artisans.
But perhaps even bigger than the trophy itself, the teams will be playing for bragging rights between MLS and Liga MX as the rivalry between the two top North American leagues continues to grow. Each MLS team taking part in the 2021 tournament will feature a player who previously competed for a Liga MX club.
4. History Lesson
Aug. 10 will mark the first time Sporting has welcomed a LIGA MX foe since April 2019 when Manager Peter Vermes’ side advanced to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals. Sporting are 2-1-0 in competitive home matches against Mexican opposition at Children’s Mercy Park, including wins over Cruz Azul (2013-14 CCL quarterfinals) and Deportivo Toluca FC (2019 CCL round of 16) and a loss to CF Monterrey (2019 CCL semifinals).
Sporting are 8-5-6 at home in international competitions, including a 6-2-2 mark at Children's Mercy Park. Midfielder Ilie Sanchez leads the current Sporting roster with two goals in international tournaments, both coming in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League. Defender Graham Zusi, meanwhile, leads the current roster with 13 international appearances for the club. He has tallied three assists in those 13 games, one shy of the club's all-time lead in international competitions.
Sporting striker Alan Pulido is well accustomed to facing Club Leon, having won multiple trophies with Tigres UANL and Chivas last decade.
5. Leon's Main Men
Club Leon's roster features a pair of LIGA MX standouts in Ángel Mena and William Tesillo, who notably helped the club to the 2020 Apertura title last December.
Mena, a prolific winger, amassed 17 goals for Leon during the 2020-21 LIGA MX season and has 51 goals for the team in all competitions since the start of 2019. He recently appeared in five matches for Ecuador at the 2021 Copa America in Brazil.
Tesillo, a versatile defender, has been an ever-present fixture for Leon over the last three seasons. The Colombian international started six of seven appearances at the 2021 Copa America as Colombia earned a third-place finish in the tournament.
Tesillo and Mena both scored in Club Leon's 2-1 win over Club Tijuana on July 31.
