Real Salt Lake draws Houston Dynamo, Atlas FC in 2024 Leagues Cup group draw

RSL will be drawn into the West 8 group that includes Atlas FC from Liga MX and MLS side Houston Dynamo FC, the club that eliminated RSL in last year’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal and a first-round series

Real Satl Lake’s next crack at the Leagues Cup will feature a few very familiar faces.

The club, in conjunction with Major League Soccer and Liga MX, announced Wednesday the formats and groups for this summer’s 2024 Leagues Cup, the second edition of the competition featuring all 47 top-division teams from the United States, Mexico and Canada.

RSL will be drawn into the West 8 group that includes Atlas FC from Liga MX and MLS side Houston Dynamo FC, the club that eliminated RSL in last year’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal and a first-round, best-of-three playoff series.

The full schedule and bracket will be announced at a later date.

Salt Lake was ranked No. 16 overall in the 2024 Leagues Cup rankings, just behind No. 14 Houston and No. 37 Atlas for the second edition of the tournamnet that will run from July 26-Aug. 25 and stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

It will be Atlas FC’s first match against RSL since the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase, a precursor of friendlies to the tournament.

MLS teams are ranked based on the 2023 Supporters’ Shield standings, while Liga MX clubs are ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches during the previous year’s Clausura and Apertura tournaments.

All clubs — except for the top-rated champions from each league — are then divided into three tiers to form 15 groups fo three teams each, with prioritiy also going to geography and competitive balance among the 45 clubs.

The Liga MX champion and three top-rated Liga MX clubs will also be granted hub privileges, an attempt ot minimize club travel and reward them by playing in pre-determined venues as the home team, based on Leagues Cup rankings. Last year’s champion Club America, as well as CF Monterrey (No. 1 ranking) and Chivas Guadalajara (No. 4 ranking) will have hosting privileges through the semifinals, Round of 16 and Round of 32, respectively.

Like America, MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew also received an automatic bye to the Round of 32.

Tickets will be made available via LeaguesCup.com or the ensuing host club’s website.