Real Salt Lake Draws Concacaf Giants In Leagues Cup
Jan 20, 2023, 10:01 AM | Updated: Jul 12, 2023, 1:56 pm
Javier Morales #11of Real Salt Lake and Walter Ayovi #20 of Monterrey Mexico fight for the ball during the first half of the CONCACAF Championship game April 27, 2011 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Real Salt Lake has been placed in a Leagues Cup group alongside Liga MX giants Monterrey FC and MLS foe Seattle Sounders.
“The Leagues Cup 2023 bracket and schedule will be announced in the coming weeks,” the press release reads.
Monterrey could visit America First Field for the first time since the 2011 Champions League Final when Los Rayados defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0.
“This year’s inaugural Leagues Cup tournament provides our club the invaluable opportunity to compete against the best in North America,” Real Salt Lake General Manager Elliot Fall said. “Continental competitions are always exciting, especially with three Concacaf Champions League (CCL) 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. The Leagues Cup this summer – especially with our history against Monterrey and Seattle – raises the level to surely unprecedented heights.”
Group Stage opponents are locked down.#RSL | #LeaguesCup2023
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) January 20, 2023
Leagues Cup Explained
In a first of its kind, Liga MX and MLS will pause their seasons in 2023 to compete in a World Cup-style tournament that will consist of 47 first-division clubs. The 2023 Leagues Cup will begin on Friday, July 21 with the final taking place on Saturday, August 19.
Real Salt Lake will play both Monterrey and Seattle once, with no Leagues Cup ending in a draw, if a game concludes level at the end of 90 minutes the fixture will immediately proceed to a penalty shootout. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout round of 32.
Both MLS and La Liga champions, LAFC and Club de Fútbol Pachuca respectively, will immediately proceed into the round of 32. The seeding for the tournament was based on final league standings in 2022 while the groups were also divided based on the geographical location of each club.
