The idea of a single league combining Liga MX and Major League Soccer, well, it’s just plain awesome.
We can thank Liga MX president Enrique Bonilla for lifting the lid on discussions between the top flights of Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
The Mexican boss was speaking at Stamford Bridge about the future of the sport, and admitted conversations between MLS and Liga MX had taken place.
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He even puts a vague timeline on the project, citing the 2026 World Cup as a springboard for North American club momentum (much like how the 1994 World Cup helped launch MLS).
This led to MLS vice president Dan Courtemanche issuing a comment that certainly wasn’t “No.” From MLSSoccer.com:
“We have been discussing with Liga MX additional ways we can collaborate on and off the field, and we are excited about the future opportunities that exist between our two leagues.”
Liga MX is a more established league with older, bigger brands and has dominated the rivalry between the two leagues, but there’s no denying the headway made by MLS over the past decade.
Given the relationships between the two nations, the melding of the leagues beyond a CONCACAF Champions League is, to borrow a Joe Prince-Wright term, mouth-watering.
But how would it work? Presumably more like a super league, though it would also give MLS another chance to implement what I’ve long-argued is already in their plans (promotion and relegation).
With the money invested by the biggest Mexican clubs in their teams, utilizing a salary cap just isn’t going to make sense. New York City, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Toronto FC, and Atlanta United would be among the teams you’d imagine beyond the cap. And if Club America, Chivas Guadalara, and others were to really spend, then, yes, the league could legitimately start to make headway in competition with Europe (especially with South American elite players who would be able to make nearly as much money closer to home).
A caveat: This is far less attractive an idea if Liga MX sides have simply been swayed by the business model of capping player expenditures and being owned by a single entity. But that can’t happen, right?
How do you think it would work?
