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The Crew were crowned Leagues Cup champions last night after a dramatic 3-1 victory over LAFC in front of a sell-out crowd of 20,190 at Lower.com Field in downtown Columbus. The Crew’s victory capped the second edition of the month-long competition, which features all 47 teams from MLS and Liga MX, and secured the club a bye to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. LAFC and the Rapids, who defeated Union in the third-place match earlier Sunday, also qualified for the continental competition.

The Leagues Cup win cements the Crew’s position as the best team in MLS on the field. The Haslam Sports Group team won the 2023 MLS Cup – also at home against LAFC – and went further than any other MLS club in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup by reaching the final.

Overall, the 2024 Leagues Cup saw a slight 1% increase in attendance over the first edition, with an average crowd of 17,131 for the 77 games. However, Leagues Cup attendance was again well below the MLS regular season average, which reached a record 23,194 at this year’s All-Star break. Knockout round matches scheduled at short notice presented a sales challenge for many clubs, and boycotts of the Leagues Cup by fan groups in response to MLS’s reduced participation in U.S. Soccer’s Open Cup competition were also an obstacle.

In terms of sponsorship, the Leagues Cup was supported by 15 corporate sponsors in 2024, compared to nine in 2023. New additions included Beats, Carnival, Frito Lay, Lowe’s, Sherwin-Williams and Strauss Workwear.

Liga MX teams again struggled in the competition, which is played entirely in the United States, despite attempts to reduce travel by the top-ranked Mexican clubs. Club América and Mazatlán fared best among Mexican clubs, reaching the quarterfinals before being eliminated by MLS opponents. This is a stark contrast to Liga MX’s success against MLS clubs in the Concacaf Champions Cup, which features matches on both sides of the border.