The Leagues Cup, first introduced in 2019, pits the best clubs from Major League Soccer against those from Mexico’s top professional league, Liga MX. It has led to some exciting action, as it gives each league the chance to earn bragging rights, along with the opportunity for clubs to take home a trophy.

The Major League Soccer regular season will be paused for the third year running to make room for the Leagues Cup tournament, where the Columbus Crew are defending champions. The Black & Gold won last year’s edition in dramatic fashion with a 3-1 win at Lower.