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| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Region | North America (CONCACAF) |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champions |  New England Revolution |
| Most successful club | New England Revolution Pachuca(1 time each) |
The SuperLiga is an official North American football (soccer) competition between teams from the Primera División in Mexico and Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada, the top divisions of the three countries. The competition is sanctioned by CONCACAF, United States Soccer Federation, and Federacion Mexicana de Futbol.1 SuperLiga will not only decide the best in the region, but will also award $1,000,000 to the winning league, the heftiest winner’s purse in North American football history. The inaugural edition of the competition opened on 24 July 2007 and ended with the final on 29 August.2
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Format
The format comprises a group phase and a knockout phase with all games held in U.S. venues. The tournament had an invitational format for its 2007 debut3, with four teams each being invited from MLS and La Primera División. As an added incentive to participating clubs, one million dollars (U.S.) in prize money was awarded to the victor.4 The MLS Players Union disputes this, stating that "MLS . . . has unilaterally set its own bonus structure for players, who will receive only [15 percent] of the $1 million."5 The players of Pachuca, winners of the 2007 tournament, received a pool of $350,000, which was donated to a charity benefiting victims of Hurricane Dean.6
It is planned that, depending on its success, the tournament will take place annually. There has been some consideration to expand the competition to eight teams from La Primera División and eight from MLS for 2008, with teams qualifying based on where they finish in their domestic leagues.7
MLS has announced that "the four MLS teams with the best regular season records in 2007 will qualify for SuperLiga 2008".8 The champions of the last 4 semi-annual seasons comprised the Mexican teams for the 2008 edition of SuperLiga.
Logo
The SuperLiga mark – the feather – took its inspiration from representative symbols of the involved North American countries: the Bald Eagle native to the United States and Canada, and the Golden Eagle which appears on Mexico’s flag. Historically in both regions, the feather – la pluma in Spanish – has long been revered as an emblem of bravery, excellence and glory.
Television
The entire tournament is being telecast live in prime time by Univision's TeleFutura Network in the United States and by Televisa and TV Azteca in Mexico. It can also be seen in English, in Canada on Fox Sports World Canada, and in the United States via Internet, on Major League Soccer's website, as well as on the official SuperLiga site. The English-language commentary heard on MLSnet.com and superliga2008.com is the commentary from Fox Sports World Canada's telecast.
Results
| Year | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |
| 2009 Details |
To be played - qualification underway | ||
| 2008 Details |
New England Revolution |
2 - 2 6 - 5 (p) |
Houston Dynamo |
| 2007 Details |
Pachuca |
1 - 1 4 - 3 (p) |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
See also
References
- ^ "SuperLiga Rules and Regulations" (PDF). MLSnet. Soccer United Marketing.
- ^ "Official SuperLiga 2007 website".
- ^ "Answers to 20 Questions for Don Garber". Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
- ^ "World renowned football rivalry gives rise to SuperLiga". MLS (2007-01-13). Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
- ^ "Revolution aren't out of their depth". The Boston Globe (2008-07-13). Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
- ^ "Lessons from SuperLiga final". Retrieved on 2008-07-16.
- ^ "SuperLiga tournament could expand to include more MLS teams". Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ "'Game First' initiatives enhance on-field product". Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
External links
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