Article by Matt Lichtenstadter
I, and many others, have written for a few years about how MLS’ real litmus test is not comparing itself favorably to the big leagues in Europe, it’s how they stack up to Liga MX. The only place where they could do that on a level playing field was in the CONCACAF Champions League, and MLS’ successes against Liga MX were at the very best, limited. Outside of a few isolated occasions, MLS teams were comprehensively beaten by Liga MX squads for a bevy of reasons. But as more money with TAM, etc. started to come into MLS, the gap has slowly been shrinking.
It was honestly a matter of time before a night like Tuesday would happen when MLS teams would finally take that leap over their Mexican counterparts. But even if a night like that was to be expected, it doesn’t make the successes any less satisfying. Toronto FC and the Red Bulls’ victories does not mean MLS is now superior to Liga MX, but it does mean their best teams are now perhaps on a more even playing field, and for MLS to accomplish its ascribed goals, that is a major moment.
Toronto FC barely scraped by on away goals against Tigres, but these are the champions of both leagues going at it, and there was little to separate them. As good as MLS Cup winners have been in recent years, none can say they did to their Mexican counterparts what TFC managed. And the Red Bulls didn’t just beat Xolos, they destroyed them over two legs, and comprehensively so. Only three MLS clubs had beaten Mexican opposition over two legs until Tuesday night nearly doubled that total by itself.
So much of that has to do with investment in players, which made up a large chunk of the gap between MLS and Liga MX squads during this decade. South of the border, clubs had more money to invest not just in the top of the squad, but in squad players from say 10-20, which MLS clubs didn’t have. But that has changed in a major way. The Red Bulls don’t exactly have flashy players, but their squad depth is so vastly superior to any team in recent years, it’s no wonder they finally competed and beat a solid Liga MX side. Some of it comes from USL, like Aaron Long and Florian Valot, who became solid additions after matriculating with Red Bulls II. Others include Tyler Adams, a HGP prodigy who made that central midfield role his own who has big US national team dreams in his future. Then, there’s Bradley Wright-Phillips; scooped off the English scrap heap to become one of the best strikers in MLS history. Finding that mix is hard, but there’s no doubt the Red Bulls managed it, and TFC did too.
Money is important, but using that money wisely is more important, and no club has shown that more than Toronto FC. Yes, Bradley, Giovinco and Altidore are game changers, but TFC would not be where they are if it wasn’t for players like Marky Delgado, Jonathan Osorio, Drew Moor, Justin Morrow, etc. who came to the club in various ways but ended up being transformative parts of this juggernaut’s puzzle. And slowly but surely, most MLS clubs now have these pieces somewhere, with the potential for some of MLS’ best squads (NYCFC for example) not yet having the chance to test themselves against Liga MX’s best. And with the competition in the league growing as better, younger players come into the league, the quality will get better and better not just at the top, but down the line too.
Since the league began rapid expansion in 2015 or so, the league has evolved at warp speed, meaning that it was an inevitability that at some point, MLS squads would have the edge over Liga MX eventually. And at least for one night, MLS’ standard bearers were superior to those of Liga MX. Toronto FC’s tests will get tougher when they play Club America, and the Red Bulls may end up facing Chivas, another club with major pedigree and history. But as they showed in their first dates with Mexican opposition, they aren’t afraid anymore or overawed by the situation. They embraced the challenge not just personally, but for the league they represent.
With the announcement of the “Campeones Cup”, pitting the MLS Cup Champs against Liga MX’s “Campeon de Campeones” winner (Clausura vs. Apertura winner), the cooperation, and friendly rivalry between the continent’s two best leagues continues to grow, for each other’s benefit. One day, the MLS All-Star game may well be the best of MLS vs. the best of Liga MX, which is something that should have happened years ago, but may well happen now. If CONCACAF overall is to succeed, Liga MX and MLS have to be fiercely competitive with each other in a friendly but fierce rivalry.
One of the ways those next steps could be taken to grow the game not just here but across CONCACAF is with MLS teams felling Liga MX opposition in CCL. And though the trophy itself is still some distance away from the Red Bulls, TFC and perhaps the Sounders, major steps have been taken and progress is now marked in a forward direction for the league trying to achieve its biggest goals.
Tuesday was a major night in MLS’ short history, and hopefully it is a stepping stone to even bigger successes to come. But in order to get there, this step had to be taken first, and both the Red Bulls and TFC, in different fashions, took that next step with the league along for the ride.
