RSL prepares for ‘win or die’ showdowns with Liga MX giants in revamped Leagues Cup tournament

SANDY, Utah (ABC4) — As Real Salt Lake kicks off its midseason campaign in the 2025 Leagues Cup, the club will play host to some of the most storied sides in Liga MX, Mexico’s top professional soccer league.

The third edition of the Leagues Cup, a high-stakes collaborative tournament between MLS and Liga MX, where teams compete for regional supremacy, prize money, and a direct path to international glory, kicked off on July 29 and runs through Aug. 31. 36 clubs – 18 from each league – will compete in the tournament which has been revamped and restructured from previous iterations.

Real Salt Lake, which qualified for the tournament based on the club’s 2024 performance, will feature prominently in Phase One, welcoming Liga MX’s Club América, Atlético San Luis, and Querétaro to America First Field over a span of eight days.

RSL’s Group: Heavy hitters and big opportunities

RSL landed in Western Region Set 2, drawing the following three Liga MX opponents for the group phase:

July 30 vs. Club América

A marquee matchup as reigning Liga MX champions Club América return to Utah for the first time since 2009. It’s a high-profile test for RSL against Mexico’s most decorated club.

Aug. 2 vs. Atlético San Luis

A winnable but tricky fixture against a team known for disruptive counterattacks. Former RSL player Anderson Julio played 20 matches for Atlético San Luis before joining RSL in 2021.

Aug. 6 vs. Querétaro

RSL closes out Phase One with a clash that could determine progression to the knockout rounds. Luis Gil, who signed with RSL at 16 years old and made 134 appearances in the claret and cobalt, signed with Querétaro after the 2015 season.

Real Salt Lake will host all three group matches at America First Field, providing RSL a valuable home-field advantage- although with Club América’s massive traveling support, that advantage will be tested.

Tournament stakes: More than bragging rights

There’s a lot on the line. The Concacaf Champions Cup offers a route to the FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup, giving Leagues Cup matches meaningful stakes beyond the rivalry.

The Leagues Cup 2025 champion earns:

• The Leagues Cup Trophy — featuring dual bowls for MLS and Liga MX, welcome silverware to any trophy cabinet.
• A share of prize money.
• Automatic qualification to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, along with the runner-up and third-place match winner.

Every Phase One game pits MLS clubs exclusively against Liga MX teams. Clubs play three interleague matches, and results are tracked in league-specific tables – one for MLS, one for Liga MX. Points earned help determine which four MLS and four Liga MX teams advance to the Quarterfinals.

Scoring system:

• Regulation win: 3 points
• Draw + penalty shootout win: 2 points
• Draw + shootout loss: 1 point
• No extra time; tied matches go straight to penalties.

RSL must finish top 4 among MLS teams in Phase One standings to advance.

Competition innovations and new rules for 2025

Leagues Cup 2025 will introduce several new competition initiatives and rule changes designed to improve player safety, match flow, and respect for officials.

Key initiatives include:

• Concussion Protocol: Teams may now use one additional substitution in cases of suspected concussion — reduced from two in prior editions.
• Off-Field Treatment Rule: Injured players may be required to leave the field for 60 seconds of mandatory off-field treatment to discourage gamesmanship and encourage continuous play.
• Disciplinary Focus: Officials will continue to enforce stricter rules around match delays, yellow card accumulation, and sanction guidelines to ensure consistency and fairness.

All matches will feature Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review from a centralized operations center in Arlington, Texas. Virtual Offside Line technology, provided by Sportec Solutions, will be used via cameras already installed in all MLS stadiums.

Leagues Cup will also pilot two new FIFA-approved rule changes this summer:

• Goalkeeper Time-Wasting Rule: Goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds will now concede a corner kick to the opposing team, aimed at reducing time-wasting.
• Captain’s Authority Rule: Only the team captain is permitted to approach the referee during a match, reinforcing respect for match officials and order on the field.

RSL’s big summer challenge

For Real Salt Lake, Leagues Cup 2025 presents an opportunity to measure themselves against some of the best clubs in the region, with the added incentive of bringing international competition back to Sandy.

Head coach Pablo Mastroeni emphasized the stakes, saying, “This tournament provides us an opportunity. As a player, you like to measure yourself against the big names in the region. It’s a barometer as to where you stand in the international game. Players want to be able to say, ‘we played against the best in the region and I held my own.’”

He added, “I tell the players, ‘this is an international competition and you have to play with a win or die attitude. That’s different than our usual league games. Every game we need to play at 100%- every shot, every disputed ball, we have to fight for it.'”

Veteran goalkeeper Rafael “Rafa” Cabral noted the prestige of RSL’s opening opponent. He told reporters that he is very familiar with Club América from playing Copa Libertadores in Brazil.

“They have quality and they are a big club. We are ready for that- we are prepared,” said Cabral. “We are a young team, but we have the energy and we have quality as well.”

Cabral also addressed the new goalkeeper rule, saying he liked the idea and that in Brazil, they it was already being implemented.

“I prefer the game to be played,” he said. “Everyone paid a ticket to see a nice game, not the goalie wasting time. We as a team always try to play quick and make the opponent run- here we have the altitude as well, so for us, we always try to play quick.”

As for the atmosphere, Cabral smiled: “We expect a lot of Mexican fans- they love soccer like us Brazilians. Soccer is their life.”

Can RSL defend home turf and stake a claim among North America’s elite? The answers begin this week in Sandy.

Kickoff information

Kickoff for the opening match of the group phase against Club América is set for Wednesday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. at America First Field in Sandy. All Leagues Cup matches stream live on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, with select matches broadcast on TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN, and RDS.

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