Riqui Puig and Luciano Acosta speak out against Leagues Cup timing

The Los Angeles Galaxy, leaders of the Western Conference, and Cincinnati FC, second in the Eastern Conference, are two teams that are fighting to win the Supporters’ Shield 2024. But they now have to think about other things...

Leagues Cup has become very important in the States: not just the first official final of each Major League Soccer season, winning the trophy ensures a place in the CONCACAF Champions League. But since the tournament was created in 2019, the MLS regular season stops for a month so that Leagues Cup can take place in the summer, something that does not please the franchises.

Puig labels Leagues Cup idea ‘complicated’

Prior to the 2024 MLS All-Star Game (Sunday, July 24, 2024 with kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT.), Los Angeles Galaxy’s Riqui Puig and Cincinnati FC’s Luciano Acosta were asked about MLS stopping games between the two leagues to which they said it is not the right thing to do as it cuts into the good form their teams are going through domestically.

“I think I speak for the Los Angeles Galaxy when I say that it’s complicated to stop the league tournament for a month, and even more so if you’re in a moment where you’ve been winning a lot of games in a row and showing a good level. It is difficult for us to stop the league for a whole month and start a new competition. And maybe it also makes the league competition a little longer, from February to December,” admitted Riqui Puig.

“There are so many games and [it’s tough] especially because we don’t see our families, since I’m from far away. But it’s true that getting out of the league and starting a new competition is always good, and it’s also good for players who haven’t played much to get minutes,” concluded the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder.

Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta agreed with Riqui Puig about playing the Leagues Cup every year mid-season: “I think Riqui said it all. It’s hard to stop and start again with a very long tournament. Having these cups in between also makes it very long, but whatever, there’s no choice but to play them and compete. As Riqui said, as players we like to compete so that we can win a trophy. But it’s all very long and very difficult,” concluded the Cincinnati captain.

The 2024 Leagues Cup will be played in different US and Canada stadiums. The tournament will start on Friday, July 26, and will run till Sunday, August 25. The tournament’s first games will be played on July 26 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. If you are in the US, you can watch the tournament on MLS Season Pass and you can stream the games live on AppleTV.