At an overhauled Leagues Cup, the Union have what it takes to end years of Mexican dominance

With the revamped Leagues Cup set to begin this weekend, the Union might be in position to challenge years of Mexican supremacy in intercontinental competitions.

For the first time, the Leagues Cup will feature all 29 MLS teams and all 18 clubs from Liga MX in a World Cup-style tournament with a group stage and knockout round. Past iterations of the tournament, which pits the top tiers of American and Mexican soccer, only included eight teams.

Teams from Liga MX have won both previous versions of the Leagues Cup (2019 and 2021), as well as 14 of the 15 Concacaf Champions League trophies to date. But the Union, who open group stage play against Tijuana Saturday at 8 p.m. at Subaru Park, might have the fitness, the experience, and the homefield advantage to go in the Leagues Cup where no other MLS team has gone before.

“In the past years, MLS showed that it’s getting better and improving a lot, and fast,” midfielder Dániel Gazdag said. “It’s another competition where we can just show that we are at the level where the Liga MX is right now. We are motivated, and I’m sure that all the other teams in our league are motivated to win something and … go as far as they can in this competition.”

The Union will conclude their group stage matches against Querétaro Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The top two teams from each of the 15 three-team groups will advance to the round of 32. MLS champion Los Angeles FC and Liga MX champion Pachuca earned byes into the knockout stages.

While the Union have never appeared in a Leagues Cup, they have experience facing Liga MX teams in the Concacaf Champions League (2021, 2023). Earlier this season, the Union recorded a dramatic victory over Atlas to reach the Concacaf semifinals, where they lost to LA FC.

“We played Atlas, which was a very, very high intensity series home and away,” Union manager Jim Curtin said. “That experience can only help us. I have great respect for Liga MX – incredible players and incredible fans in their league.”

Coming off victories against Nashville and New York City FC, Curtin said he expects the Union (12-7-4) to hold an edge in fitness against their Liga MX opponents. While MLS is two-thirds of the way through its regular season, Tijuana and Querétaro have combined to play five games, as Liga MX’s Apertura only got underway earlier this month.

The Union also nearly returned to full strength in the lead up to the Leagues Cup. Against NYCFC, star goalkeeper Andre Blake was back from duties with the Jamaican national team, and All-Star midfielder José Andrés Martínez scored a goal in his return from an illness. However, the team lost captain Alejandro Bedoya to a quad injury that Curtin expects will sideline him for three to four weeks.

“You miss your captain when he’s out,” Curtin said. “In his absence now, Andre and guys like Jakob Glesnes will have to step up with the leadership because Ale’s kind of our heart and soul. He wishes he could be out there, but [Saturday,] unfortunately, that won’t be a possibility.”

The Union will have the benefit of playing on their home field through at least the semifinals, should they make it that far. Each game of the Leagues Cup will take place at an MLS venue, meaning there won’t be any tough road games in Mexico. Seeding for the tournament was based on last year’s Supporters’ Shield standings, in which the Union finished second. Put it all together, and the only road game the Union would have to play is against Los Angeles FC, who they wouldn’t see until the finals.

“Subaru Park, with our fans behind us, we have a big opportunity,” Curtin said. “We play very well here, as has been seen over the last 50-plus games — probably the best team at home in MLS. So we’ll need that atmosphere to be very strong.”

» READ MORE: The Union’s Leagues Cup schedule has a lot of home-field advantage

The group stage of the tournament concludes July 31. The knockout rounds begin Aug. 2 and culminate in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 19. Apple TV+ will serve as the primary broadcast home for the tournament, while Fox Sports and Univision will air select games on linear television.

In addition to the players vying for prize money, the top three finishers will qualify for next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup. The winner will earn a bye to the round of 16.

The wait for Lionel Messi is over. The Argentine megastar will make his Inter Miami debut hosts Cruz Azul in the opening match of Leagues Cup play Friday at 8 p.m., bringing a jolt of energy to a matchup between two teams at the bottom of their league’s standings.

“Really exciting day in MLS history, to be honest, with the debut of Messi tonight and then the opening of a competition that is new for our league,” Curtin said.

» READ MORE: Messi can have a Pelé-like impact for MLS, says an Abington native who once defended the Cosmos star

The Premier League Summer Series, a first-of-its kind preseason tournament featuring the top tier of English soccer, is coming this weekend to Lincoln Financial Field. Chelsea will face Brighton & Hove Albion Saturday at 7 p.m. A single-admission doubleheader Sunday will feature Fulham against Brentford at 4 p.m., followed by Newcastle United versus Aston Villa at 7 p.m.

» READ MORE: Philly’s booming soccer scene: Premier League fans hype a different kind of football