True. Atlante and Morelia don't exist at least on 1st Division. Santos had its golden years but ever since Irrarragori, owner of Santos, started caring more about trying to persuade Liga MX to copy the MLS model way of making money, he hasn't cared about his team and it shows. So that leaves the "6-8 good teams" I said Liga MX has.
Again, if the teams that haven't qualified yet to CCC from Liga MX use Leagues Cup as a preseason then that's on them. They don't win in Liga MX and they don't win in Leagues Cup and they don't participate in CCC because they do poorly on both tournaments that can qualify them to CCC. So what are those teams preparing for if they never aim for anything?
Take a look at the table 6-15 is separated by 4 points. The league is grueling to the last round. As I mentioned, players don’t give the same care for leagues cup the same way they give it for LigaMX and CCC. Just look at the games Tigre’s is coming from they had an intense game against chivas right before the Seattle game. They have no room for error to get into the liguilla. It’s not the same thing doesn’t matter if you dangled a ccc ticket to entice teams
The points in Liga MX isn't by much because it's only 17 game short sprint season. Exactly. MLS can use that same logic. Seems like it. For perspective; 2027 CCC will have Toluca and Tigres that are already qualified and they played in this year's CCC. Cruz Azul and Chivas are set to qualify too for CCC and Cruz Azul is also playing CCC this year. America and Pachuca will also more likely qualify but Monterrey or Pumas can still catch Pachuca in the aggregate table. As of right now all of these same teams are also in position to qualify for this season's liguilla, minus Monterrey who is out for the moment of the "play off" standings. So what is the rest of Liga MX aiming for if they have no shot at winning Liga MX, go to Leagues Cup for "preseason" and don't compete in CCC? I guess they are just looking forward for vacation.
Personally, I do think that those (non-elite) teams try in Leagues Cup. Like Querétaro in 2023, or Mazatlán in 2024. It's just unrealistic for them to win several games on the road. The 2027 CCC will be quite interesting with the MLS sprint season. Both leagues will deal with similar circumstances with the luxury of resting players (as done by LAFC this weekend) almost impossible for teams that have to fight for points in the league.
This is a more fair true statement. We are seeing in CCC that even the "elite" teams of Liga MX is becoming more difficult to get wins against MLS playing in US. Some still win but not as easy as before. We also know MLS in CCC can't win playing away in Mexico. Now the non-elite Liga MX teams playing away in Leagues Cup against MLS teams is simply much more difficult for them to get results. So...based on that I don't think that Liga MX teams aren't trying in Leagues Cup. They are trying they just can't win. It isn't as easy for Liga MX teams anymore winning away. Add that MLS is past way their mid season when Leagues Cup starts so they are in form unlike Liga MX. Liga MX is barely starting their season. That is the reverse role MLS has gone through for years in CCC.
Evidence is by the eye test. MLS playing in CCC at the beginning of the tournament aren't in form as when they play Leagues Cup. And vice-versa for Liga MX. Unless you really think a team coming off their off season is playing at the same speed and intensity as it does in their mid season.
Teams in mid-season are bogged down by match fatigue and injuries. Arsenal right now looks a whole lot worse than they did in September, to pick a personal example not at all at random.
Let's say it isn't preseason that affected MLS in CCC and affects Liga MX in Leagues Cup. Liga MX is clearly the better league if we go by CCC results for the past 20+ years. So why can't they get more wins in Leagues Cup? I'm not talking about winning the entire tournament. Just talking about why can't Liga MX win more games in Leagues Cup than MLS in the first round before they need to start traveling to other locations? They used to win before easily playjng away. Playing away didn't affect them at all. So is it because all Liga MX doesnt care about Leagues Cup so they just tank on purpose? We can't say that the "pressure" MLS fans put is too much for Liga MX teams because that would be laughable. Majority in the stadium are Liga MX fans. We can't say it's the altitude either because we don't have that here. Nor does the weather affect them because they don't play in freezing weather.
That's only true for 3 or 4 teams, which was amply demonstrated in the first full Leagues Cup when less than a thousand showed up for a couple of Liga Mx v Liga MX matches.
They travel for the group stage, too. When? In earlier years in the CCC? MLS got better, and so it has done better at home in CCC in recent years. In CCC, Liga MX gets the opportunity to make up for that in the home leg, but in Leagues Cup, they don't. Also, Leagues Cup includes the bad Liga MX teams. It would be expected that they do worse on the road vs. MLS than the top Liga MX teams do.
Unless you are Seattle, who have been plagued by injuries at the start of the year in both the back and up front.
Mexican teams aren’t in midseason for CCL then either, so the argument would be about late-season form. Same standards apply either way.
That was my point at the beginning when I said Liga MX has 6-8 good teams (still a good amount of teams considering how many teams they have) and the rest are just fillers. Then it went from that to saying Liga MX teams just don't care about Leagues Cup thus why they don't win. I even said 6 Liga MX teams are qualified for CCC by the time Leagues Cup starts so that leaves 12 Liga MX still with a shot to join CCC by placing in Leagues Cup but the response was that Liga MX simply doesn't care. This new CCC format kind of helped MLS with the preseason form at the beginning of the tournament. They don't face off vs Liga MX right away minus 1 exception. Before when it was only 16 teams and CCL would start before MLS season kicked off it wasn't favorable for MLS. By the time CCL started Liga MX was in their 5 or 6th week while MLS hadn't kicked off their 1st week of the season. In Leagues Cup Liga MX does play 2 or 3 league games prior to Leagues Cup but they are coming off their summer break which is longer than their winter break. MLS has the advantage there on top of all games been here.
All happening in Puebla. I think Cruz Azul just got 4 yellows in 60 seconds and they now have a pk just after Lloris made a brilliant save. Now the ref is going to the monitor and the pk stands.