Why Liga MX and MLS could never merge | OneFootball

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90min

·18 May 2021

Why Liga MX and MLS could never merge

Article image:Why Liga MX and MLS could never merge

Rumors occasionally resurface that the two dominant leagues in the continent could one day merge to become the strongest football association in North and South America. In 2020, there were ongoing talks about the possibility of a 50-team cross-border league.

Though LigaMX and MLS could become a powerful force if united, the commotion around the proposed Super League in Europe perfectly exemplifies why this project would fail as well.


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Earlier this year, the sports world saw the idea for a tournament chaotically rise and fall in a matter of days. In theory, the Super League appeared like another great football opportunity for talents to face each other, but in reality it could never work.

The league was conceived to compromise 15 founding members spanning different countries to create a competition like no other. Except there was another: the Champions League. The two leagues with essentially the same concept would have been in direct competition, ultimately saturating schedules to a crippling point. Obviously the Super League didn't work out, and has since then gone down as the shortest lived proposal with the greatest repercussions.

Unifying LigaMX and MLS would rival the CONCACAF Champions League in the exact same manner and create a similar chaos.

CONCACAF currently pulls the top teams from every league in North America, Central America and the Caribbean to organize a yearly competition or Champions League. The winner of the tournament automatically qualifies for the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup, an international competition that started in 2000.

Although the CONCACAF Champions League features teams from varying countries, the final rounds almost always consist of MLS and LigaMX teams. Another competition where the two leagues face each other consistently would be redundant and ultimately cause a decline in competitiveness.

The two leagues often inspire each other to perform better, and push players to grow as athletes. Additionally, keeping the two separate would enable for further development in each player in their respective. With a wider, 50 team league, athletes would fail to stand out week in and out.

LigaMX and MLS should remain in constant competition, yes, but in an organized and individual fashion.

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