In the follow-up ad, the one-minute manifesto “This is Rivalry. This is Leagues Cup,” Industry presents a family of Liga MX Monterrey fans dealing with a dissenter who’d rather follow the MLS’ Houston Dynamo. It picks up during an ill-tempered pickup game between a neighborhood’s L.A. Galaxy and Chivas fans and has Mexican goaltending legend Jorge Campos sporting a jersey featuring all sides of the Leagues Cup showdown.
The push has worked, as the tournament’s first weekend at the end of July averaged crowds of 21,415, up from 17,269 last year and including a record 50,765 at Levi’s Stadium on July 27 for the San Jose Earthquakes’ matchup with Chivas Guadalajara on Saturday. The tournament’s sponsor count is up from nine in 2023 to 15 this year, including AT&T, Coors, Geico, Frito Lay, Lowe’s, Gran Centenario and Caliente.
“Leagues Cup is a powerful testament to how we are uniting both leagues to grow soccer at the grassroots level,” said Marcela Garcia, marketing vp for Leagues Cup. “With our new campaign, ‘More Than Soccer, This Is Leagues Cup,’ we are embracing the cultural diversity of soccer in our region.”
Speaking to culture
Valadez noted that while all of the partners working on the Leagues Cup have a similar mission—starting North American soccer’s journey to the World Cup—its campaign expanded upon “More Than Soccer” by revisiting the concept of “ni de aquí, ni de allá,” meaning, “Not from here, not from there.”
Used to describe the angst of first- or second-generation immigrants who no don’t feel embraced by their new nation but no longer feel accepted by the country they left, Valadez considered “ni de aquí, ni de allá” a “very unique Latin American attitude.” Born in Mexico City, raised in Atotonilco el Alto in the highlands of Jalisco and moved to Chicago in the ‘90s, Valadez said the Leagues Cup provides an opportunity to give “ni de aquí, ni de allá” new meaning based on real insight Industry and MLS are receiving from soccer fans.
