After Philadelphia's semifinal elimination, Thursday's CONCACAF Champions League final will be an all-Mexican affair. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
The Seattle Sounders were playing in their third season of Major League Soccer. They advanced from the group stage in 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League to tie Santos Laguna in the quarterfinals.
The club had a great opportunity and won the first leg at its home, 2-1. However, the return leg was a reality check for all MLS teams that have played Liga MX opposition in the past. Santos won 6-1 and advanced easily through Toronto FC to the semifinal, before falling to Monterrey.
Thursday will be a second all-Mexican final when Monterrey meets Club America for continental bragging rights.
It was a success for the Sounders and they were better for it the next year. They reached the semifinals, where they lost the first leg to Tigres. However, this time, they won 3-1 at home. Although it was competitive, the Sounders lost 2-1 overall.
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Since then, Sounders majority shareholder Adrian Hanauer has become close to Santos Laguna chairman Alejandro Irarragorri. They communicate regularly, and serve as sounding boards to one another in the same challenges of managing professional soccer teams.
Their close relationship is also influential in the recent increase in collaboration between Liga MX and MLS.
Hanauer stated that Alejandro and he have worked hard to get owners of Mexican teams and MLS teams to know one another. It's easy to point across a border and say "Those guys do it that way," but not really get to know the people involved.
It is important to have meals together, meet together, and learn from one another. We are trying to get owners together more often to exchange best practices, as that is what builds relationships and strengthens partnerships. This was not possible until three years ago, when we started pushing for it.
The current moment is a time when the growing collaboration between the two leagues is more apparent than ever. The MLS-Liga MX All-Star Game was held on Aug. 25, Club Leon defeated Seattle to win the Leagues Cup crown on September 14, America beat Philadelphia Union in the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals a day later, and the Columbus Crew won the Campeones Cup against Cruz Azul on September 29.
Both leagues have obvious commercial potential. Mexican teams want to play in the United States. The league is a larger television draw than MLS. MLS clubs can also use games against Mexican teams as a way to market themselves to Mexican-Americans who may not otherwise be interested.
Irarragorri stated that 60 million people [Hispanics] live in America today. Of these, probably 80% are involved in [soccer]." They have the largest base of soccer fans in the U.S. Although I don't know what tomorrow will bring, today the Hispanic fanbase is stronger than any other.
Irarragorri stated that one of the most difficult challenges in America is to convert people who are already involved with the sport into those who can watch it. The history of the sport has shown that incremental progress is impossible. Liga MX and MLS are just two examples of this.
Irarragorri stated, "An event such as the All-Star Game I believe that only confirms what Adrian has been discussing for more than 10 years now." This is probably better for Liga MX in the short-term. It's probably better for MLS in the medium term, but I think it's better. It's good for both MLS and MLS in the long-term."
Thursday's CCL final illustrates that, despite the 10 years' worth of relationship-building between clubs on both sides of the border, the leagues' partnership is still very much in its infancy. The MLS All-Stars won against Mexico's rivals, while the Crew won the Campeones Cup. However, the Champions League, which is the confederation’s most prestigious club competition, was won by the Crew. It's an all-Mexican affair.
In fact, seven out of the ten past finals featured two Liga MX sides.
The Campeones Cup, now in its third year, and the Leagues Cup in its second year are both MLS-related. This gives MLS teams the opportunity to regularly compete against the best in North America. Despite the increased exposure and greater visibility, there has yet to be any on-field return in Canada and the U.S.
LAFC was close to realizing this potential in 2020. They held a CONCACAF Champions League final lead of 1-0 over Tigres, but it was ultimately overturned. The fact that Andre-Pierre Gignac & Co. gave Bayern Munich a run for its money in the Club World Cup final is a sign of the immense gap the Canadian-American league is trying to close. It will take time.
For MLS and its clubs, to see the fruits and the transition between North American leagues, they will need to be more competitive with their Mexican counterparts when it really matters. They'll have to wait and watch Liga MX teams win continental crown after crown.
