The Sounders were the first MLS team to reach the Leagues Cup Final in 2021, ultimately losing to Leon. Unfortunately, that was the last time that they made it that far in the competition. They advanced to the quarterfinals last year, but fell to league rival Los Angeles FC.

The defending Major League Soccer champs begin the tournament, which pits MLS teams versus Mexico’s Liga MX clubs in the first three rounds, Thursday at home.

After the FIFA Club World Cup ushered in yet another major tournament into the game’s crowded ecosystem, and less than one year away from an expanded 48-team men’s World Cup, it appears that there’s no turning back. The saturation of soccer is here to stay.

The third edition of the expanded Leagues Cup tournament — the World Cup-style competition that pits Major League Soccer clubs against their counterparts from Mexico — kicked off on Tuesday night with six games across the U.