MLS vs. Liga MX: Lessons from Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals

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MLS vs. Liga MX: Lessons from Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals

Jon Arnold, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Fri, Apr 17, 2026 ·

7 min read

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The Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals are set with two teams from MLS — Los Angeles FC and Nashville SC — and two from Liga MX — Tigres and Toluca — moving into the final four.

Liga MX teams have won all but one of the continental club championships in the modern era, but both MLS teams were convincing in their quarterfinal wins. The bracket sees another pair of interleague semifinals, with Nashville meeting Tigres and LAFC coming up against Toluca.

Before the semifinals begin the week of April 28, USA TODAY Sports looks back with three thoughts from the quarterfinals:

Oct. 10: Charlotte FC defender Henry Kessler (22) clears the ball as FC Dallas forward Santiago Moreno (10) pressures during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Charlotte FC won the match, 3-2.
(Bob Donnan, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Oct. 10: Chicago Fire defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi (4), defender Jack Elliott (3), goalkeeper Chris Brady (1) and New York City FC defender Raul Gustavo (34) battle for control of the ball during the second half at Soldier Field. The Chicago Fire won the match, 2-1.
(Talia Sprague, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Sept. 26: The San Jose Earthquakes' Preston Judd (center top) celebrates in the stands after scoring a goal against the Portland Timbers during the first half at PayPal Park. San Jose won the match, 3-1.
(Darren Yamashita, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Sept. 19: FC Dallas' Shaq Moore (18) clears the ball with a bicycle kick as Austin FC's Brandon Vázquez (9) and FC Dallas goalkeeper Daniel de Sousa Britto look on during the second half at Toyota Stadium. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
(Raymond Carlin III, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Sept. 18: New York Red Bulls defender Tim Parker (26) heads the ball over New York City FC midfielder Hannes Wolf (17) during the first half at Yankee Stadium. RBNY won the match, 1-0.
(Mark Smith, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Sept. 13: The New England Revolution's Peyton Miller (25) scores a goal against the Chicago Fire during the second half at Soldier Field. New England won the match, 2-1.
(Talia Sprague, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Sept. 9: The Vancouver Whitecaps' Mathias Laborda (2) goes up for a header against the Los Angeles Galaxy's Hirving Lozano during the first half at BC Place. Vancouver won the match, 3-0.
(Anne-Marie Sorvin, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Sept. 4: Nashville SC's Sam Surridge (9) takes a shot at goal against New York City at Yankee Stadium. The match ended in a 0-0 draw .

(Thomas Salus, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 29: Lionel Messi scores a goal past CF Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier during the second half at NU Stadium. Messi scored four goals in a 7-1 win for Miami..

(Sam Navarro, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 29: The Chicago Fire's Robin Lod (17) advances the ball away from the Seattle Sounders' Kim Kee-Hee (20) and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (85) during the first half at Lumen Field. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
(Steven Bisig, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 22: The Vancouver Whitecaps' Bruno Caicedo celebrates after scoring a goal against FC Dallas at BC Place. Vancouver won the match, 5-0.
(Christopher Morris, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 22: The son of San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Angus Gunn rushes onto the field in the final minutes of the second half against Minnesota United at PayPal Park.
(David Gonzales, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 19: Real Salt Lake's Stijn Spierings (6) leaps to head the ball over FC Dallas' Logan Farrington (23) during the second half at America First Field. FC Dallas won the match, 4-3.
(Peter Creveling, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 16: Seattle Sounders FC forward Paul Rothrock (14) blocks a shot on goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the first half at Lumen Field. Vancouver won the match, 2-0.
(Steven Bisig, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 1: The Chicago Fire's Robert Lewandowski (9) scores a goal during the second half against Charlotte FC at Soldier Field. Chicago won the match, 2-1, behind two goals from Lewandowski, his first goals in MLS.
(Kamil Krzaczynski, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 1: Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (left) controls the ball while defended by the Columbus Crew's Sean Zawadzki during the second half at Nu Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
(Sam Navarro, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Aug. 1: Red Bull New York's Matthew Dos Santos (left) battles with Orlando City's Ivan Angulo for the ball during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. RBNY won the match, 3-2.
(Vincent Carchietta, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

July 25: The Houston Dynamo's Lucas Halter (5) heads the ball away from Austin FC's Brandon Vazquez (9) during the first half at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston won the match, 3-0.
(Troy Taormina, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

July 25: D.C. United's Tai Baribo (9) reacts after scoring the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in a 2-1 win against Toronto FC at Audi Field.
(Rafael Suanes, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

July 22: Orlando City's Antoine Griezmann celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park. Orlando City won the match, 4-0.
(Brandon Vallance, Getty Images)

July 22: Atlanta United's Elías Baez (3) heads the ball against Charlotte FC during the first half at Bank of America Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

(Jim Dedmon, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

July 17: LAFC's Denis Bouanga (99) scores on a penalty kick against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park. LAFC won the match, 3-0.
(Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images)

May 23: Nashville SC's Jeisson Palacios (4) scores a goal on a header past New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese during the first half at Geodis Park. Nashville won the match, 2-1.
(Alan Poizner, Imagn Images)

May 23: Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina (1) makes the save against the New England Revolution at Bank of America Stadium. Charlotte FC won the match, 1-0.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

May 16: FC Dallas' Samuel Sarver celebrates by drinking a beer that was thrown at him by fans after he scored a goal against the San Jose Earthquakesat PayPal Park. Sarver's stoppage-time goal gave FC Dallas a 3-2 victory.
(John Hefti, Imagn Images)

May 16: New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese (49) dives for the ball in front of Red Bull New York's Julian Hall (16) during the first half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The matched ended in a 1-1 draw.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)

May 13: The Seattle Sounders' Nouhou Tolo celebrates after an assist for a goal against the San Jose Earthquakes during the second half at Lumen Field. The Seattle Sounders won the match, 3-2.
(Steven Bisig, Imagn Images)

May 13: Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady gets control of the ball after a corner kick against DC United at Audi Field. Chicago won the match, 3-1.
(Jamie Sabau, Imagn Images)

May 13: CF Montreal's Wikelman Carmona (left) kicks away the ball from the Portland Timbers' Finn Surman during the first half at Saputo Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images)

May 9: The Seattle Sounders' Daniel Musovski kicks the ball away from San Diego FC's Luca Bombino (27) during the second half at Lumen Field. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
(Steven Bisig, Imagn Images)

May 9: FC Cincinnati's Nick Hagglund heads the ball as Charlotte FC's Morrison Agyemang pressures during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

May 3: New York City FC's Strahinja Tanasijević (19) jumps to head the ball during the first half against D.C. United at Citi Field. D.C. United won the match, 2-0.
(Mark Smith, Imagn Images)

May 2: Orlando City SC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau makes a save as Inter Miami's Luis Suárez (9) follows on the play during the first half at Miami Freedom Park. Orlando City rallied from a 3-0 deficit for a 4-3 comeback victory.
(Jim Rassol, Imagn Images)

May 2: Red Bull New York's Emil Forsberg (10) controls the ball against FC Dallas' Ramiro Benetti (17) and Shaq Moore (18) during the first half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. FC Dallas won the match, 2-0.
(Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images)

April 26: The LA Galaxy's Marco Reus (18) jumps over Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Rafael Cabral during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Reus scored two goals as the Galaxy won the match, 2-1.
(Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images)

April 25: The Chicago Fire's Philip Zinckernagel (left) and Sporting Kansas City's Kwaku Agyabeng battle for control of the ball during the second half at Soldier Field. Chicago won the match, 5-0.

(Talia Sprague, Imagn Images)

April 22: Houston Dynamo FC forward Ondrej Lingr (9) attempts to control the ball as San Diego FC's Osvald Soe (17) defends during the first half at Shell Energy Stadium.
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)

April 18: St. Louis City's Jeong Sang-bin slides for the ball possessed by the Seattle Sounders' Paul Rothrock during the second half at Lumen Field. Seattle won the match, 4-1.
(Steven Bisig, Imagn Images)

April 18: Colorado Rapids fans cheer during the match against Inter Miami at Empower Field at Mile High. A total of 75,824 fans attended the game played at the home of the NFL's Denver Broncos, marking the second-highest single-game attendance in MLS history (82,110 for LA Galaxy-LAFC at the Rose Bowl on July 4, 2023 is the most).
(Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images)

April 18: CF Montreal's Prince Owusu (9) plays the ball and as Red Bull New York's Dylan Nealis defends during the first half at Saputo Stadium. Montreal won the match, 4-1.
(Eric Bolte, Imagn Images)

April 11: Sporting Kansas City's Stephen Afrifa (17) tries to head a shot on goal as the San Jose Earthquakes' Jack Jasinski (left) defends during the second half of the match at Children's Mercy Park. San Jose won the match, 3-1.
(Denny Medley, Imagn Images)

April 11: D.C. United's Silvan Hefti (left) defends against the New England Revolution's Dor Turgeman during the second half at Gillette Stadium. New England won the match, 1-0.
(Paul Rutherford, Imagn Images)

April 11: FC Cincinnati's Tom Barlow heads the ball against Toronto FC during the first half at BMO Field. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw.
(John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images)

April 4: Inter Miami defender Maximiliano Falcon reacts after a play against Austin FC during the second half at Nu Stadium. Inter Miami drew 2-2 against Austin FC in the inaugural game at Nu Stadium in Miami.

(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

April 4: The Chicago Fire's Maren Haile-Selassie (7) and Nashville SC's Maxwell Woledzi battle for control of the ball during the first half at Soldier Field. Chicago won the match, 1-0.

(Talia Sprague, Imagn Images)

March 22: San Diego FC's Marcus Ingvartsen celebrates after scoring a goal against Real Salt Lake at Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego FC and RSL played to a 2-2 draw.
(Chadd Cady, Imagn Images)

March 21: St. Louis City's Simon Becher (11) tackles the ball away from the New England Revolutio'ns Matt Polster at Energizer Park. St. Louis City won the match, 3-1.
(Scott Rovak, Imagn Images)

March 21: Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crapeau (71) blocks the header by Nashville SC's Sam Surridge during the first half at Geodis Park. Nashville SC won the match, 5-0.

(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images)

March 21: Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran makes a play on the ball in front of Columbus Crew forward Jamal Thiaré (during the second half at BMO Field. TFC won the match, 2-1.
(Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images)

March 15: The Vancouver Whitecaps' Mathías Laborda (2) scores against the Minnesota United en route to a 6-0 rout of Minnesota at BC Place.
(Anne-Marie Sorvin, Imagn Images)

March 14: San Diego FC's Jeppe Tverskov (6) heads the ball during the second half against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.
(Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images)

March 7: A tifo is seen before the game between the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
(Aaron Doster, Imagn Images)

March 1: Inter Miami's German Berterame controls the ball against Orlando City during the second half at Inter&Co Stadium. Inter Miami won the game, 4-2 .

(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Feb. 28: Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga and the Houston Dynamo's Antonio Carlos (left) compete for possession during the first half at Shell Energy Stadium. LAFC won the match, 2-0.

(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)

Feb. 28: The Chicago Fire's Jonathan Dean (24) and CF Montrea's Hennadii Synchuk battle for control of the ball during the second half at Soldier Field. Chicago won the match, 3-0.
(Talia Sprague, Imagn Images)

Feb. 22: The Seattle Sounders' Paul Rothrock celebrates after scoring a goal against the Colorado Rapids at Lumen Field. Seattle won the match, 2-0.
(Steven Bisig, Imagn Images)

Feb. 21: FC Cincinnati's Gerardo Valenzuela (center) has his shot blocked by Atlanta United's Elias Baez(left) during the first half at TQL Stadium. FC Cincinnati won the match, 2-0.
(Kareem Elgazzar, Imagn Images)

Feb. 21: Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka (1) reaches for the ball against Real Salt Lake during the second half at BC Place. Vancouver won the match, 1-0.
(Anne-Marie Sorvin, Imagn Images)

Feb. 21: Fans watch during the national anthem before the game between Los Angeles FC and Inter Miami CF at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. LAFC won the game, 3-0 , knocking off the defending MLS champs.

(Kelvin Kuo, Imagn Images)

Is Liga MX or MLS stronger in Concacaf Champions Cup?

The historical debate will rage on, and we'll get more data points. While Tuesday was an historic night for MLS teams, eliminating two Mexican grandes in one fell swoop, Wednesday saw both Liga MX teams in action get through despite being on the road in the second leg.

But perhaps the debate shouldn't rage at all? At least, that was the perspective of LAFC manager Marc dos Santos after eliminating reigning champion Cruz Azul.

"There shouldn't be rivalry. There should be respect for two leagues that are strong," Dos Santos said in Spanish. "MLS has grown a lot in recent years. I remember 15 years ago when MLS teams would play against Liga MX opponents, the difference was really big. Today, it's not like that. It's closer."

Yet, Dos Santos' team is an example of how "the gap" that is often debated between Liga MX and MLS often comes down to individual teams. LAFC not only has the talents of Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga in its attack and a world champion goalkeeper Hugo Lloris , who was key to the Black and Gold's second-leg success, but also has an intimidating home-field advantage and since its inception has operated like one of the top clubs in the Americas.

LAFC's Denis Bouanga celebrates after scoring the equalizing goal from the penalty spot during the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match against Cruz Azul in Puebla, Mexico on April 14, 2026.

Seattle Sounders manager Brian Schmetzer's team experienced the most difficult group in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with the reigning champions of Europe, of South America and consistent contenders Atlético Madrid in the group.

"We weren't playing Paris Saint-Germain or Botafogo or Atletico, but Tigres is up there. That is a tremendous team," he said. "I credit Guido (Pizarro, Tigres manager) again, wish him the best of luck in the tournament. That was a good team. The guys played well against a very, very top opponent."

At times, it's an on-fire MLS team that can make a deep run. Other times, it seems that the lack of form from a Liga MX team makes the difference. Taking nothing away from Nashville SC becoming the first MLS team to win a competitive game at the Estadio Azteca — and doing it without injured forward Sam Surridge , Nashville faced an América team far from its recent peak.

After becoming the first team to win three consecutive titles in Liga MX's short tournament era, América has struggled this season, sitting just above the playoff line with four games to go.

"We want to pursue trophies and be able to compete against the elite. We knew getting to this round, you're going to be matching up against really good teams, and if you want to be able to continue to pursue those, you have to go on the road and go to historic stadiums like Azteca in difficult conditions and get results," Nashville manager BJ Callaghan said. "For us, it's a great step forward, but it's just one more step forward to the semifinal where we're going to have more work to do if we're going to continue to pursue our ambitions."

That is where teams from both leagues find themselves: Near a trophy that would be a serious landmark in their club's history, but knowing nothing has been won yet and no long-standing narrative has been shifted.

Will away goals continue to be used as a tiebreaker in the Concacaf Champions Cup?

In other top soccer competitions, using away goals to determine the winner of a two-legged tie has gone the way of the dodo. Neither Europe's UEFA Champions League or South America's Copa Libertadores puts extra weight on where the goals are scored.

Concacaf is still a holdout, though, and the Seattle Sounders know it all too well. Despite rallying for a 3-1 win over Tigres on Wednesday to knot the aggregate series at 3-3, the Sounders bow out because of their 2-0 loss at El Volcan last week.

Everyone knows the rules heading into the competition, but it led to a jarring swing when the Sounders conceded to Tigres center back Joaquim on a corner kick just after the half-hour mark. After opening the game with an early goal, the Sounders went from needing one more goal to send the series to extra time to needing three more to have a chance to win.

"Obviously it was disappointing to give up that goal, but our guys fought back, got ourselves back in the game and had numerous chances to score that fourth goal," Schmetzer said.

Just two other series in this year's CCC were decided on away goals — the LA Galaxy winning their first round series over Sporting San Miguelito and Nashville SC getting past Inter Miami in the Round of 16 — but when it does happen, it can start to feel strange.

Concacaf shouldn't feel pressured to make a change just because everyone else is doing it, but it is worth asking if the away goals tiebreaker is the best way to determine a winner. Both the Sounders and Tigres certainly had their moments in the series.

"It was a tough game, typical of this competition. I think the tie was really even. We were better there, and here they found goals at the right moments to push the game," Tigres manager Guido Pizarro said in Seattle. "It was really even, so I put a lot into going through."

Maybe extra time to let them decide it on the field would've been even better (though after the 8:30 p.m. Pacific start time Wednesday, it would've led to plenty of tired eyes Thursday morning.)

CONCACAFed returns?

For all the grief Concacaf has received about the quality of officiating over the years, the top center referees have generally shown big improvement in the last several years.

This week, however, was a jarring throwback to the days of botched calls and strange decisions.

Salvadoran native Ivan Barton started the Cruz Azul v. LAFC match tossing cards into the air at nearly every opportunity, but then allowed Carlos Rotondi to put an American football move on Denis Bouanga and stay on the field despite having gone into the book in the 13th minute. Finally, Gonzalo Piovi was sent off in stoppage time, but that moment of frustration from a dangerous tackle indicated a game that already had gotten out of the official's control.

The next day in Seattle, it was another Salvadoran in the middle, with Ismael Cornejo administering justice. He was put in a difficult spot by his crew and their bosses, being asked to wait on the field for a review while Albert Rusnák's position on the Sounders' opening goal in the win over Tigres (that still saw them dumped out) was evaluated for onside or offside.

It was a tight decision, but the line drawing later produced was hardly irrefutable evidence to overturn the play — even if it made for better soccer for the neutrals as the Sounders started to believe they could pull off the comeback.

As this competition continues to grow, it should match the standard of the best leagues taking part in it. Even in the often colorful Liga MX, we quickly see the semi-automated offside technology diagrams. Concacaf needs to empower its referees with the best possible tools as quickly as possible.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLS vs Liga MX: Who has the edge in Concacaf Champions Cup?

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Is Liga MX or MLS stronger in Concacaf Champions Cup?

Will away goals continue to be used as a tiebreaker in the Concacaf Champions Cup?

CONCACAFed returns?