Whitecaps to host star-studded Mexican team at BC Place this summer
The Vancouver Whitecaps will be welcoming one of Mexicoâs most successful clubs to BC Place this summer.
Eight-time Mexican champions Club LĂ©on will visit Vancouver on July 21 in the Leagues Cup, a competition that includes all 29 teams from Major League Soccer and 18 Liga MX clubs, from Mexicoâs top division.
ITâS DROPPED.
The @LeaguesCup schedule is officially here âŹïž
Be there when the âCaps take on LIGA MX side @clubleonfc at @BCPlace on Friday, July 21 đ #VWFC | #LeaguesCup2023
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 9, 2023
The Leagues Cup came to be in 2019 as a four-team competition, and due to the pandemic, hasnât been able to expand to its full potential until 2023. This year, 47 clubs will vie for the trophy, and the top three spots could give them a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, a competition similar to the UEFA Champions League.
LĂ©on has competed in the tournament in the past, winning the four-team competition in 2021. They come to BC Place looking for a second straight title.
Nicknamed Los Panzas Verdes, or The Green Bellies, LĂ©on bring star-studded talent to Vancouver as well, with former Arsenal striker Joel Campbell leading their attack in front of Colombian international Yairo Moreno.
The Whitecaps and LĂ©on are in a three-team group stage alongside the LA Galaxy, who the Whitecaps will visit on July 29. The top two teams will then advance to a round of 32 knockout stages as competition creeps toward the Leagues Cup Final set for August 19.
The game may not be the only time the Whitecaps welcome top Mexican opposition to BC Place this season as well. The club is off to a strong start in the Champions League, beating Honduran side RCD Espana 5-0 on Wednesday.
Should they advance to further stages in the Champions League, the Whitecaps could face LĂ©on again or fellow Mexican sides Tigres and Atlas. There is also potential to play teams from Panama, Haiti, Honduras, Costa Rica, the USA, and El Salvador.
The Whitecaps have not played a Mexican side since losing to Tigres in the 2017 Champions League but will get that chance again this season.
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