2024 Leagues Cup Fan Guide: What to expect from FC Dallas
2024 Leagues Cup Fan Guide: What to expect from FC Dallas
After a decent showing last year, FC Dallas has an interesting path in front of them.
The 2024 regular season is on a break. No, not the mythical All-Star Game break1. We’re talking about the actual break in the schedule that sees Major League Soccer shut down for nearly a month in the summer for a tournament with their neighbors from the south in Liga MX for the (what has now become) annual Leagues Cup.
FC Dallas did fairly well in last year’s League Cup. They never lost a game in regulation (but did drop two in penalty kicks) and were able to host Lionel Messi’s first road game in the United States.
So, let’s dive into what you need to know for this year’s tournament and what you should expect out of FC Dallas.
The group (aka West 3)
FC Dallas will first square off against MLS Western Conference opponent St. Louis CITY SC this Saturday in St. Louis. This will mark the first time in two years that FC Dallas has participated in the League Cup, where they will go on the road.
FC Dallas will face FC Juárez for the first time in club history during the League Cup 2024. Dallas went undefeated against Liga MX sides in the League Cup 2023, defeating Mazatlan FC 2-1 and Club Necaxa 3-0.
The potential Knockout Round path
The bracket pits FC Dallas in the same ‘region’ as the top Liga MX side, Club America, who will have a ‘home field advantage’ in San Diego throughout the Knockout Rounds until the semifinals.
If they are able to exit the group, they will be matched up with a team from West Group 5, which consists of Colorado, Portland and Club Leon. Winning the group would mean they would continue to host games, but coming in second could mean they’ll be on the road (unless it is against Leon).
The odds
According to Bovada, Inter Miami is the favorite at +900 (this is even though Messi’s ankle may keep him sidelined for the tournament). Next in line are the Columbus Crew and LAFC at +1000, Liga MX’s América’s at +1200, and FC Cincinnati’s at +1400.
FC Dallas is much further down the charts at….checks notes….still going down the chart…oh, at +6600. Eleven clubs have worse odds than FC Dallas, including fellow groupmate Jaurez FC at +15000.
FCD’s other groupmate, St. Louis CITY SC, is higher at +2800. This is likely because they’ll play two home games in the Group Stage.
Do the fans like this?
Yeah, this is the tough one.
The club supporter groups, Dallas Beer Guardians and others, are boycotting the tournament because MLS favors the Leagues Cup over the US Open Cup. They won’t be tailgating or having watch parties for the road games throughout the tournament.
The atmosphere may be a tad different due to the boycotts both here and around the league (other club groups are either going silent at specific moments in a game or aren’t showing up at all for the matches in this tournament). I totally understand the idea and desire to boycott this tournament in favor of the USOC. Believe me, I’d rather win the USOC than the Leagues Cup.
But these are still games for FC Dallas to play in, so you may still want to tune in to see how the club does throughout. This tournament may not have the history that the USOC has, but it was rather fun last year, from FC Dallas's positive home wins to hosting Messi’s first road game in the US to seeing how the club used it to make a playoff run in the fall.
So, how should FC Dallas manage this tournament?
I mentioned a few weeks back that FC Dallas should use this tournament to continue giving minutes to younger players rather than chase a trophy.
I do get that after the club’s recent exit from the USOC earlier this month; the Leagues Cup is probably the only realistic chance for a trophy this season. I still think that the juice won’t be worth the squeeze to chase this trophy and instead work on getting guys like Tarik Scott, Tomas Pondeca, and even someone like Enes Sali minutes with the first team while also finding ways to get match fitness back for injured players like Jesus Ferreira, Alan Velasco, Geovane Jesus and Patrickson Delgado.
I’d much rather see a combination of youth gaining minutes and injured players returning to form for the stretch run into the playoffs than chasing a trophy right now.
FC Dallas should get out of their group, which is arguably the easiest one in the tournament. From there, a couple of games in the Knockout Round will be good for this group as it will continue to give them games while also providing a bit of a break in the schedule once they are eliminated.
What are your expectations for the Leagues Cup? Are you excited about it this year? Let’s discuss it all below.
Anyone who calls the MLS All-Star Game week an All-Star break, like the MLB or NBA does, is…cute. It's not a break; it’s never really been considered a break.