Reports: Real Salt Lake To Participate In 8-Team Tournament
May 17, 2019, 2:47 PM
Andy Williams #77 of Real Salt Lake is pulled down by Julio Cesar Dominguez #4 and Javier Orozco #27 of Cruz Azul during the second half of an CONCACAF soccer game October 19, 2010 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Real Salt Lake beat Cruz Azul 3-1. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SANDY, Utah – According to multiple reports, Real Salt Lake will participate in an 8-team tournament with four teams from Major League Soccer and four clubs from Liga MX.
RSL will join the Chicago Fire, Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo as the MLS participants. Cruz Azul, Tigres, Xolos and Club America are the four Mexican teams.
Neither league has officially announced the tournament and the matchups and format has not been announced.
Confirmados los equipos que participarán en torneo Liga Bancomer – #MLS https://t.co/o7QpMxhRgF pic.twitter.com/0qZCyHtjF3
— Brian Dunseth (@BrianDunseth) May 16, 2019
The tournament is expected to begin in July and go through September, according to Cruz Azul Sports Director Ricardo Pelaez.
RSL has faced all four of the reported Mexican clubs in the tournament at least once. They faced Tigres in 2008 in Utah and picked up a 1-0 win. They faced each other again in CONCACAF Champions league in 2016 with Tigres winning 2-0 at home and a 1-1 draw at Rio Tinto Stadium to advance to the second round on 3-1 aggregate.
In 2009, RSL faced Club America and beat them 1-0. They played Cruz Azul in 2010 in CONCACAF Champions League when Real made their magical run to the final. They lost 5-4 at Cruz Azul but won 3-1 at home in the second leg to escape on aggregate 7-6. They faced Xolos once in 2014 and played to a 1-1 draw.
