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Nashville SC in Leagues Cup 2024: How the MLS-Liga MX tournament works, how to watch
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- Nashville SC in Leagues Cup 2024: How the MLS-Liga MX tournament works, how to watch
Nashville SC hosts Mazatlán FC on Wednesday in the Leagues Cup , kicking off its third competition of 2024 to go with the ongoing MLS regular season and since-completed CONCACAF Champions Cup.
With the Leagues Cup still in its infancy and an unfamiliar concept to many soccer fans, here's a rundown of how the tournament works:
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What is the Leagues Cup?
The Leagues Cup is an annual competition between clubs from MLS and Liga MX, Mexico 's top-division professional league. The tournament started in 2019 with eight teams — four from each league — participating in a single-elimination format and maintaining that in 2021 (the tournament was not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
In 2022, instead of a tournament, the event was called the Leagues Cup Showcase and consisted of five friendlies between MLS and Liga MX teams. Nashville made its debut in the competition, drawing Club América 3-3.
The 2023 edition was the first under the current format. All 29 MLS teams and 18 Liga MX teams participated in the event, which ran from July 21 to Aug. 19, as both leagues took a break from their respective regular seasons. Both MLS and Liga MX are pausing their seasons for the 2024 competition as well.
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Led by global superstar Lionel Messi , Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup last season, beating Nashville on penalties in the final at Geodis Park.
This year's Leagues Cup began on July 26. The final will take place Aug. 25.
This season's Leagues Cup format
The Leagues Cup consists of a group stage followed by a 32-team single-elimination knockout stage. The tournament is split into two "regions" — East and West — with the East consisting of seven three-team groups and the West consisting of eight. The defending champion of each league, the Columbus Crew and América, received automatic berths in the knockout round.
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The remaining 45 teams were seeded into three pots of 15 teams, with seeding determined by each team's 2023 performance in their respective leagues. Each group consists of one team drawn from each pot.
Each team plays each other team in its group once, and the top two teams by points will advance to the knockout stage, which will begin Aug. 7.
All matches are being played at MLS venues, though the top four Liga MX teams by seed — América, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Tigres UANL — have "hub rights," allowing them to host games at a designated MLS stadium with priority over most other MLS teams.
Dates, times and locations for the knockout-stage games will be announced after each round.
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Who does Nashville SC play in Leagues Cup?
Nashville is in East 5 with the New England Revolution and Mazatlán. Nashville hosts Mazatlán at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, and travels to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to face the Revolution on Tuesday, Aug. 6 (6:30 p.m. CT).
New England defeated Mazatlán 1-0 in the group's opening match on Saturday. Therefore, Nashville can clinch its spot in the knockout stage by beating Mazatlán.
If Nashville wins its group, it would face the runner-up of East 1, which consists of New York City FC , FC Cincinnati and Querétaro, in the round of 32. If Nashville finishes as runner-up, it would face the winner of East 7, which consists of Atlanta United , D.C. United and Santos Laguna.
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No ties, no extra time in Leagues Cup
Wins in regulation are worth three points. If a group-stage game is tied after 90 minutes, it will immediately go to a penalty shootout, with the winner earning two points and the loser earning one. Knockout-stage matches also will go straight to penalties after 90 minutes, with the winner advancing to the next round.
Nashville SC lost to Lionel Messi, Inter Miami in 2023 Leagues Cup final
Nashville finished second in its Leagues Cup group a year ago after beating the Colorado Rapids and falling to Toluca. NSC then beat Cincinnati on the road on penalties in the round of 32 and outlasted América in the round of 16 after a wild ending that included another penalty shootout.
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Nashville routed Minnesota United 5-0 in the quarterfinals at Geodis Park and defeated Monterrey 2-0 in the semifinals, earning the right to host Inter Miami for its first-ever trophy. Fafá Picault answered Messi's first-half goal to send the game to penalties tied at 1-1, but in the 11th round, Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender denied his opposite number, Elliot Panicco , to seal the championship.
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What's at stake in the Leagues Cup?
The winner of the Leagues Cup earns an automatic berth in next season's CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16. The second- and third-place teams will qualify for the CCC group stage.
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Nashville competed in the CCC for the first time ever in 2024 after its runner-up Leagues Cup finish. Nashville beat Moca FC in the first round before being eliminated by Inter Miami in the round of 16.
How to watch the Leagues Cup
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will stream the tournament. FOX Sports and Univision will broadcast select games on television.
2024 Leagues Cup schedule
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Group stage: July 26-Aug. 6
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Round of 32: Aug. 7-9
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Round of 16: Aug. 12-13
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Quarterfinals: Aug. 16-17
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Semifinals: Aug. 20 or 21
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Third-place game: Aug. 25
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Final: Aug. 25
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Leagues Cup 2024: Explaining MLS vs. Liga MX tournament
