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Liga MX vs MLS, a never-ending and inevitable comparison

We compare the past and the present mostly with the intention of seeking a better future. In North American soccer we often compare between Mexico and the United States, about how this rivalry affects the future of their national teams and which league is better, Liga MX or MLS.To get more news about Liga MX México, you can visit futbol-mx.com official website.

Atlanta United traveled to Mexico for a 13-day preseason in Guadalajara, where the team will play three scrimmages against Mexican opposition, Celaya FC on Sunday, Feb. 6, and Chivas de Guadalajara and Tepatitlán FC on Sunday, Feb. 13.

The club was greeted Wednesday morning by the US Consul General in Guadalajara, Eliza Al-Laham, and executives from Club Atlas, where the team will train these next two weeks, and during a press conference with club President Darren Eales, VP and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra, and Head Coach Gonzalo Pineda, the comparison between Liga MX and MLS was inevitable.

“It is very difficult to talk about a league that I no longer follow so closely and that is why I cannot compare how things are being handled in Mexican soccer, but what I can say is that MLS is a league that has a plan in the short and long term that is giving it immediate results,” said Pineda during the press conference. "I don't dare make a direct comparison because I haven't followed the insides of Mexican soccer for a long time, and [in Mexico] maybe you feel the same way because you might not fully know what MLS is about, so it's difficult to make such a comparison.”

Since Atlanta United entered MLS in 2017, it has always had a close connection to Mexican soccer, especially in recent years. Atlanta has had Mexicans players like Jürgen Damm and Érick 'Cubo' Torres on its roster, as well as others who have played for Liga MX clubs like Édgar Castillo and Greg Garza. Likewise, other MLS clubs have brought in Mexican stars to their ranks, such as Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández, Carlos Vela, Rodolfo Pizarro, and Carlos Salcedo, among others.

However, in Mexico it seems as if MLS is still not as attractive as Liga MX and is yet to break into the mainstream soccer fan.

“I don't fully know the perception here. I do not think everyone in Mexico thinks that a player goes to MLS just to make money. Many players when they go to the US realize that it is a fairly even and competitive league, with many drawbacks such as weather changes, time changes, long trips, and things that help you evolve as a player and prepare for when you go to Europe,” added Pineda. “You have to speak other languages, live with people from other cultures, have many competitions within a year, understand about marketing, talk to the press and perform both on and off the pitch. There are many nuances that will allow a young player with a sharp vision to look at MLS with good eyes.”

The connection between Atlanta United and Mexican soccer has remained strong with the club's current coaching staff, in part, consisting of three former Mexican league players, Pineda, Diego de la Torre and Eugenio Villazón. In addition, the Head Coach of the Mexican National Team, Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, assumed his current position following two seasons in Atlanta, where he became the first Latin American coach to win MLS Cup.