Action from the first-ever Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League game between teams from Liga MX and MLS, when Pumas hosted the Houston Dynamo (orange jersey) on September 30, 2008, in Mexico City. (Photo: Mexsport)
SAN NICOLAS DE LOS GARZA, Mexico – The Liga MX/Major League Soccer rivalry will be renewed Tuesday, when the debate is moved to the 2015-16 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League forum.
As fate would have it, each of the four quarterfinal pairings involves a clash between representatives of each league…four additional opportunities to advance the conversation.
While a team from Liga MX has lifted the trophy at the conclusion of all seven previous SCCL editions, MLS is sending four teams to the elite eight for the first time.
Here are the numbers:
LIGA MX v MLS – BY THE NUMBERS
- Games Played: 58
- Wins: Liga MX 33, MLS 11
- Draws: 14
- Goals: 174 (Liga MX 114, MLS 60)
- Titles: 7 (Liga MX 7, MLS 0)
Liga MX v MLS: Year-by-Year Record
(Liga MX wins listed first)
- 2008-09 … 4W-2D-0L
- 2009-10 … 6W-2D-0L
- 2010-11 … 5W-2D-3L
- 2011-12 … 8W-2D-4L
- 2012-13 … 7W-1D-2L
- 2013-14 … 2W-2D-2L
- 2014-15 … 1W-3D-0L
FIRST GAME
The first-ever game pitting a Liga MX side against an MLS team was on September 30, 2008, a 4-4 draw between host Pumas and the Houston Dynamo in Mexico City. Craig Waibel gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute, before Dante Lopez leveled 14 minutes later, netting the first of UNAM’s four, first-half goals. Kei Kamara also struck twice within the opening 34 minutes for the visitor, which completed the scoreline five minutes into the second half thanks to Waibel’s second tally of the night. Efrain Juarez (27'), Juan Francisco Palencia (41') and Dario Veron (45') also notched goals for Pumas.
LAST GAME
Club America captured the 2014-15 SCCL crown by defeating the host Impact de Montreal in the second leg of the final 4-2 for a 5-3 aggregate triumph. An eighth minute goal by Andres Romero thrilled the home fans in the crowd of 61,004 at the Stade Olympique. The Aguilas then scored four unanswered goals, three by Dario Benedetto (50', 67’, 81’) and one by Oribe Peralta (65’) to put the game out of reach. Jack McInerney (89’) netted late for the Impact, but it wasn’t enough to alter the result.
FIRST LIGA MX WIN
The first of Liga MX’s 33 wins against MLS sides was registered by Cruz Azul, 1-0, at D.C. United on October 1, 2008. In the second-ever game of the 58-match series, Pablo Zeballos (55’) scored the lone goal as a shot from outside the box by Edgar Gerardo Lugo deflected off his back and into the left side of the net.
FIRST MLS WIN
Cruz Azul was involved in the first win by a MLS team, falling at Toronto FC, 2-1, on August 17, 2010. Martin Saric (3’) and Mista (44’) gave Toronto a 2-0 lead before halftime, while Christian Gimenez (90’) halved the deficit with a late goal.
Visit CONCACAF.com for more information about Liga MX and MLS in the SCCL.
