LIONEL MESSI will be thrown straight into the thick of things as he prepares to make his debut in the US.
The Leagues Cup gets underway this week and there are plenty of teams vying to get their hands on some silverware.
GettyLionel Messi joined Inter Miami earlier this summer in a huge deal for the MLS[/caption]
Messi already has a cabinet full of trophies at home, but he’ll be after his very first with Inter Miami on American soil later this year.
Though the MLS is still in the middle of its season, the Leagues Cup will now take precedent for North America’s best players.
What is the Leagues Cup?
The Leagues Cup will all 29 MLS clubs thrown into a World-Cup style competition with the 18 Liga MX clubs to compete for one trophy.
Both the MLS and Liga MX, the top league in Mexico, will come to a halt while the Leagues Cup is going on.
The winner will eventually qualify for the last-16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Every team will play two group stage games each, and the top two teams from each group will make the round of 32.
No draws are allowed, so if a game is level after 90 minutes, the game will go straight to penalties.
A team gets three points for a win, 1 point for a draw after 90 minutes, and an extra point if they win the shootout.
When is the Leagues Cup?
The Leagues Cup will be held between July 21 and August 19.
The first game of the tournament will be between Messi’s Inter Miami and Cruz Azul.
