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A recent advertorial in AdAge describes the Leagues Cup as the “soul of North American Soccer” ahead of the 2024 Leagues Cup. Certainly, the organizers of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, a competition that was originally established in 1962, may have a bone to pick with that story.
The article, paid for and approved by Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Major League Soccer’s marketing arm, reads, “Here to showcase the soul of North American soccer, Leagues Cup represents unity off the pitch, rivalry on the pitch and audacity everywhere.”
The competition only started last year, and it found decent success. However, much of that interest came from the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. The Argentine went on to win the inaugural Leagues Cup last year.
Is the Leagues Cup the ‘soul of North American soccer’?
SUM paid for the editorial in AdAge to build up anticipation for the competition, which is less than 100 days away. Similarly, SUM published the article to court new advertisers for the competition as well as a way to tell its own story with complete editorial control and approval over the finished article. After all, when you’re paying to have a story published, you can say whatever you want.
While the Leagues Cup encompasses every MLS and Liga MX team, saying it represents unity off the pitch is close-minded regarding North America as a whole. There are far more clubs in North America than just the 47 that took part in the Leagues Cup. The continent of North America also includes nations in Central America and the Caribbean. In total, there are 21 sovereign states in the continent of North America other than the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The better representation of the soul of North American soccer would be the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Not only does the CONCACAF equivalent to the Champions League feature clubs from every member association. The history of the tournament shows the development of North American soccer over…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mls-calls-leagues-cup-the-soul-of-north-american-soccer/
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2024-04-23 22:00:00
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