Liga MX officials revealed on Monday their desire that Major League Soccer clubs could someday be incorporated into Copa MX, the biannual knockout tournament featuring clubs from Mexico's top two professional divisions.
“What we’ve started to evaluate is a bi-national [cup] concept with our partners in MLS,” Liga MX president Decio De Maria told reporters in a press conference. “It’s a possibility, a good project to develop. It would be for 2016 if it is confirmed.”
While the idea of Mexican and MLS clubs meeting in Copa MX is a new one, it echoes the concept behind SuperLiga, the now-defunct annual summer tournament that brought together eight of the top teams from either side of the border from 2007-2011. Mexican clubs won three of its four editions, with the New England Revolution's 2008 triumph the sole exception.
MLS officials responded positively to De Maria's words.
“As Commissioner Garber recently mentioned in his State of the League address, we believe the more competition we can have between MLS and Liga MX clubs, whether in official tournaments or exhibition tournaments, is a positive for both leagues,” said Todd Durbin, MLS executive vice president of Player Relations & Competition, in a statement.
“We have a strong relationship with the Mexican Football Federation and Liga MX and are open to exploring opportunities to continue to work together to continue the growth of the game in this region.”
De Maria also announced that a new competition pitting the Apertura and Clausura Liga MX champions will take place in the US in July.
