RSL and Leagues Cup: An expansion of minutes
The Leagues Cup schedule is out, pitting MLS and Liga MX agains each other in another competition. But let's talk about those minutes.
HERRIMAN — Real Salt Lake announced its Leagues Cup group-stage slate Thursday in conjunction with the rest of Liga MX and Major League Soccer, setting in stone the midseason competition between the two leagues that will shift the dynamic of soccer across North America once again.
The 47-team tournament kicks off this summer, when both MLS and Liga MX will take a break from internal competition. Reigning league champions LAFC and Pachuca each have secured a bye to the knockout stages, while RSL will host Seattle Sounders FC on July 22 and Mexican power CF Monterrey on July 26 at America First Field.
“We look forward to competing in this year’s inaugural Leagues Cup tournament, providing our club the invaluable opportunity to compete against the best in North America,” said RSL general manager Elliot Fall, now in his 17th season with the club. “Continental competitions are always exciting, especially with three CONCACAF Champions League berths at stake. We have a deep and proud history of CCL moments that began a decade ago, and I know our fans harbor fond memories of intense, energetic and very meaningful games on Utah soil against regional powers.
“Kicking off the Leagues Cup this Summer at our America First Field home — especially with our history against Monterrey and Seattle — raises the excitement and intensity levels to surely unprecedented heights.”
As MLS continues to rise on a world — or even regional — stage, the addition of extracurricular matches during the regular season becomes stark. From Leagues Cup to U.S. Open Cup, teams can now play upwards of 50 matches during the season across all competitions. Add in CONCACAF Champions League and a deep playoff run that includes the expansion to nine postseason berths per conference, and that number of matches could swell to 60 and beyond.
All this, in addition to a regular season that has expanded from April-October to February-December.
While that increased competition and exposure is great, it also hasn’t coincided with an increase in roster sizes or salary budget. Sure, every team now has a lower-division affiliation such as RSL’s Real Monarchs in MLS NEXT Pro. But those affiliations of mostly youth and international players only go so far.
The growth of league competition is roughly on par with the top teams in Europe; Manchester City is set to play around 61 fixtures across all competition this year, as noted by Charles Boehm and Forbes. But Premier League club salaries and rosters dwarf MLS in size and composition.
“Even if we don’t make the playoffs, it will still be the most games we’ve probably ever played in a season,” Philadephia Union manager Jim Curtin recently said in an interview with The Athletic. “I wish the rosters grew a little bit. That would soften the blow.”
Adding another designated player — or whatever the mechanism becomes as rumors continue to swirl around Inter Miami and Leo Messi — isn’t enough. MLS needs to address a far more serious concern of a strained roster on each of its clubs with increased competition and decreased resources: depth. Even the league champs recognize it.
“The biggest difference between this current roster and the roster from last season is depth, and now speaking about the lack thereof,” LAFC coach and USMNT alum Steve Cherundolo told Pro Soccer Wire. “We aren’t as deep as we were last year at this moment in time. That could change but at the moment we are not, and so we will have to be smart about our rotations.”
Club personnel across the league, including at Real Salt Lake, have speculated that plans are in the works to help increase that roster depth. But to date, those plans have remained shrouded in mystery. And it seems unlikely — at best — that any such plans won’t be put into place in time for the inaugural Leagues Cup this summer.