One year ago, Lionel Messi helped usher in the inaugural Leagues Cup in sensational fashion, leading a bottom-placed Inter Miami in the MLS Eastern Conference standings to a surprise first trophy.
The mere presence of arguably the greatest player of all time made Inter Miami the favourites to win the tournament despite their woeful league position. This caused many (we won’t name names) to scoff at the betting market, but Messi proved the many sceptics wrong in a triumphant start to life in the United States.
As the second Leagues Cup is about to begin, the opposite is true. Not only is Messi still in the squad, but the club sits top of the table, entering the tournament ahead of the Supporters’ Shield race, and doing so largely in the absence of their Argentine star. Yet somehow, the Herons are No favourites to win, outclassed in pre-match odds by Mexican giants Club América.
Jugo Mobile brings you a look at the 2024 Leagues Cup with the defending champions looking to retain their crown, while the rest of MLS plus a host of Liga MX contenders hope to snatch it from David Beckham’s grasp.
2024 League Cup Winning Odds
| Club | League | Odds of winning the League Cup (DraftKings – USA) |
| America club | Liga MX | +800 |
| Inter Miami | MLS | +900 |
| Los Angeles Football | MLS | +1000 |
| Columbus Crew | MLS | +1000 |
| Blue Cross | Liga MX | +1200 |
| American football Cincinnati | MLS | +1800 |
| New York Red Bulls | MLS | +1800 |
| LA Galaxy | MLS | +2000 |
| Colorado Rapids | MLS | +2000 |
| UNAL Tigers | Liga MX | +2000 |
| New York Sports Club | MLS | +2000 |
| Monterrey | Liga MX | +2000 |
| Royal Salt Lake | MLS | +2200 |
| Toluca | Liga MX | +2500 |
| City of Orlando, South Carolina | MLS | +2500 |
| Vancouver White Ridges | MLS | +3000 |
| Atlanta united | MLS | +3000 |
| Portland Timbers | MLS | +3000 |
| Philadelphia Union | MLS | +3000 |
| Houston Dynamo | MLS | +4000 |
| Guadalajara | Liga MX | +4000 |
| DC United | MLS | +4000 |
| Charlotte Football Club | MLS | +4000 |
| Pachuca | MLS | +4000 |
| Minnesota United | MLS | +4000 |
| 19 others | +5000 and less |
Incredibly, reigning champions Inter Miami are not favourites to win the 2024 Leagues Cup, with that honour going to Liga MX side Club América. Las Águilas boast plenty of Mexican internationals in their squad, including Henry Martin, Erick Sánchez and Luis Malagón, as well as big-name star Jonathan dos Santos and in-form American striker Alejandro Zendejas.
Lionel Messi’s injury has also likely affected Inter Miami’s chances, in addition to several absences of players competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Indeed, many clubs participating in this tournament have players selected by international squads for the tournament in France. For example, Atlanta United, a struggling MLS club, has seen playmaker Thiago Almada go abroad, leaving them without their Argentine star.
Who will win the 2024 League Cup title?
Top Favorite: LAFC (+1000)
LAFC, which reached the quarterfinals in the first edition of the Leagues Cup before being eliminated by Liga MX side Monterrey, will be up to the challenge in its second appearance. Sitting second in the Western Conference standings at the start of the tournament, LAFC has been among the top clubs in MLS for several years.
If you’re looking for storylines, LAFC has one of the best: A year after Lionel Messi’s arrival led Inter Miami to glory, Olivier Giroud may take over from the Argentine great and arrive at LAFC just in time to win a trophy. He won’t arrive until early August, but theoretically he could get time in this tournament as long as his new club doesn’t get kicked out early.
It’s entirely possible that LAFC could be without a head coach midway through this tournament, as Steve Cherundolo is a strong candidate to take over the U.S. men’s national team, but at this point that’s already far enough away to rule it out.
Best bet: LA Galaxy (+2000)
These are, quite simply, ridiculous odds for the current Western Conference leaders. They struggled a bit to get their new signings going, but since late May, the LA Galaxy have been good enough to establish themselves as strong MLS title contenders.
Riqui Puig has established himself as an MLS star, and new offseason additions Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec have injected much-needed energy into the Galaxy’s attack. Relying on an attack to outscore opponents can be a risky approach in the playoffs, but the Galaxy have the talent to pull it off.
Get away of: Inter Miami (+900), All Liga MX clubs
Second seed and defending champion Inter Miami have had a good season, with or without Lionel Messi, whose presence has been inconsistent due to injuries and commitments with the national team. Tata Martino has done a good job of moving forward in Messi’s absence after initial problems without his superstar.
However, this team will be extremely weak in the Leagues Cup, largely due to the Olympic Games, where several players will compete. The three Olympic participants are removed from the midfield, where the trio of Benjamin Cremaschi (USA), Federico Redondo (Argentina) and Diego Gomez (Paraguay) are currently abroad. Add to this the injuries of Messi and striker Luis Suarez, and this team is currently in poor form.
There are also reasons for not having visiting teams. After an inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup that was heavily criticized by Mexican clubs, the tournament has tried to accommodate Liga MX teams, but the competition remains heavily skewed toward MLS teams.
The Leagues Cup is held entirely in the United States, which creates a lot of travel for visiting Liga MX clubs, big and small. Some of the Mexican clubs have obtained hosting rights, which reduces their travel a bit, but it’s just a band-aid on a bigger problem, as they’ll spend most of the knockout phase visiting stadiums.
Club América could go far in the competition, and so could Tigres, but winning the title would be a monumental challenge for clubs in a league that has barely started its season.
