Mic'd Up: The Apple TV+ host discusses Leagues Cup, the U.S.-Mexico rivalry, and why MLS All-Star Game matters
Dax McCarty is passionate about the Leagues Cup. No matter what anyone says about a competition that still hasn't gotten it right, the midfielder always enjoyed playing in the tournament. McCarty featured twice – once for Nashville and again for Atlanta United. And on both occasions, he embraced the energy that only the Mexico-U.S. rivalry can generate.
"When we played against Club America, when I was with Nashville two years ago, that was one of the craziest games I'd ever been involved in in my whole career," he told GOAL. "It was amazing. When we played against Monterrey in the semifinals, that was a real game of intensity, quality, with high level players. I mean, you name it, and Liga MX versus MLS, it does provide it."
It's a perspective that not everyone else shares. The Leagues Cup meant a lot to the Columbus Crew when they won it in 2024, but Liga MX clubs have expressed disdain for the competition. The competition has been revamped for the 2025 edition, increasing the number of MLS-Liga MX fixtures, and removing draws. Organizers hope it will give everything a little more zest.
"I think the Leagues Cup, it continues to evolve, and I'm hoping that this is the best version we see yet," he says.
And as hard to admit, it might just be Liga MX's time. The league has struggled in the competition in recent years – with MLS winning the last two iterations. But now, a new format should give the better teams a chance to show their quality.
"Club America is the slight favorite, even though they're playing their games on U.S. soil," he said. I think they've got a lot to prove. And I think that Liga MX team really wants to win this version. We've had two years in a row, an MLS team has won, and I think Liga MX's time."
McCarty discussed Leagues Cup, MLS All-Star Game, and why the league was right to suspend Lionel Messi in the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
GettyON LIONEL MESSI'S SUSPENSION
GOAL: Let's start with the elephant in the room when it comes to MLS. Messi didn't play in the All-Star Game. Where do you stand on that? Is it bad for the league?
McCarty: The way that I look at it is that it's there needs to be context and nuance added to the discussion. MLS was right to suspend him, because Messi is the greatest player of all time, in my opinion. I think that he's a global superstar in the sport. He does transcend the game. So there will be moments during his career in MLS where he might get – I don't want to say preferential treatment – but obviously he will be able to do things maybe other players wouldn't. But when it comes to official rules that MLS has in place, he can't be above that, because then the integrity of the league is at stake. And so MLS did the right thing in suspending him. If he wanted some rest, that's fair. I think that the All-Star Game can be tweaked in little ways to make sure that players are getting some rest.
I also think Messi could have shown up to the All-Star game. I mean, let's be honest, this is a guy who has the means to travel private. He could have flown in on the day of the game. He could have played 10 minutes. He could have waved to the fans that paid money to go see him play, and then he could have gotten on a private jet right after he gets subbed out, and flown back to Miami and been back in his own bed for a good six, seven hours of sleep. It could have been handled a little better from a communication aspect, from his camp and with MLS. But at the end of the day, MLS did the right thing. They had to suspend him. I agree with the decision. And now hopefully we can move on from this, and hopefully Inter Miami can focus on what they want to focus on, which is just having him available for their games and trying to win trophies.
GOAL: It's like the Christian Pulisic thing in a way, right? He should be there. But as a follow up, is it harder to comprehend for you, considering you played in an era in which Beckham, Donovan, Henry, all of those guys, would just play?
McCarty: Kind of, but at the at the same time, I'm also sympathetic to an older player who maybe doesn't understand how things work in the U.S. in terms of All-Star Games. I imagine a player like Messi, players like Jordi Alba, they look at the All-Star Game and they don't really understand why it's important in American culture. I understand soccer fans around the world who are fans of Messi, but not fans of MLS, siding with him and saying he shouldn't have to play in an exhibition game, essentially. But again, I'll go back to the same thing. Major League Soccer is unique. It's unique to the U.S.. It's different than other leagues around the world, and there are positives to that.
When it's all said and done, I think that every player should be held to the same standard, regardless of how incredible of a player and their career has been. So I think regardless of anyone's opinion, it's not like I'm going to look back in 10 years time and think about the one time he skipped the All-Star Game and caused a stir. Like, who cares? The league handled it the right way. Hopefully, Messi is going to handle it the right way. And I worry for other teams in the league, maybe he'll have more of a vengeance to go and win trophies than he did before. He seems like one of the most competitive athletes that's ever lived. So no, after this is done, I'm not going to have to think about it or talk about it, hopefully.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesON THE ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT
GOAL: As you look at the All-Star Game, what needs changing?
McCarty: Idon't think there's anything wrong with the All-Star Game. I love the All-Star Game. I was there for four days, and I had an incredible time. It was my first All-Star Game not as a player. It meant a lot to me as a player who is not on the Messi level, a player who didn't represent the national team all the time, and a player who loves MLS. I love and respect the All-Star Game. I feel like there's value to it, but the schedule is already congested enough, so I don't know what the most obvious solution is.
But it would be great if there was a way to find some time in the schedule to get the All-Star Game its own weekend, where maybe players could get a little bit more rest. They could go to the All-Star Game fresh. They could enjoy the festivities. They could focus on playing 45 minutes, and have three or four days of rest before their next league game. But this is above my pay grade. Jorge Mas has come out and talked about how maybe there can be ways – and even Don Garber's talked about, maybe there can be ways where they can reevaluate the All-Star Game and how to make it a little bit more, I guess, schedule-friendly. We'll see what they decide.
Getty ImagesON LEAGUES CUP
GOAL: Leagues Cup has had its fair share of critics, but now there's a new format. What do you make of it? Is this a step in the right direction?
McCarty: It's a step in the right direction. I made it to the final in the first Leagues Cup. I loved it. I didn't know what to expect going into it, but I thought it was brilliant because of the fact that you have three CONCACAF Champions Cup places on the line, which is really valuable. You have a trophy on the line, which players want to play for. And then the money aspect of it makes sense. You're asking players to play more games in a new tournament. Another great incentive is to get some great bonus money. And for players in MLS that aren't making a big amount of money, that's a great motivating factor to be able to make an extra $20K or $30K. That's important for certain players, and it's important for every player.
But the main motivation is to win trophies and qualify for CONCACAF Champions Cup. And the budding rivalry with Major League Soccer and Liga MX is fantastic. I understand the concerns from Liga MX teams about how the whole tournament is played in the United States. But I think this new format makes a lot more sense in terms of you get much more Liga MX vs MLS games. That's what the crux of the first two iterations was. The example is the Columbus Crew got into the knockout rounds in this last version in 2024 and they didn't play a single Liga MX team. They only played MLS teams all the way up through the final. So, to make it more fair for every team involved, let's get more cross-country games. The pods help Liga MX teams. They're more settled in one place. So I think the Leagues Cup, it continues to evolve, and I'm hoping that this is the best version we see yet.
@ClubAmericaON THE US-MEXICO RIVALRY
GOAL: How big is that rivalry? For a player, how much does that mean?
McCarty: If you're an American player and you're a Mexican player, it's huge. The U.S.-Mexico rivalry in every aspect of soccer is really big. And it stems from years of the Mexican national team playing against the U.S. men's national team. It stems from CONCACAF and wanting to have supremacy in CONCACAF. And let's, let's be completely honest: for years, the Mexican national team and Liga MX had an upper hand on the U.S. men's national team and MLS. That gap has closed significantly. I think that the leagues and the national teams are closer than they've ever been.
And my argument is, wherever games are played between league MX and MLS teams, whether that be down in Mexico or in the U.S., that's that's the team that has the advantage. Because it's very difficult for League MX teams nowadays to come into the U.S. and play on a Major League Soccer team's home field and get a result. We've seen that. We've seen that in years past. So I'm excited. I feel like the leagues are very close in level and quality. I still think the best teams in Liga MX probably are slightly above the best teams in Major League Soccer. But you know, Liga MX teams have won the last couple CONCACAF Champions Cups – and in convincing fashion. And then the last two Leagues Cups have been won by MLS teams on U.S. soil. So there's definitely an organic rivalry there.
I don't care what anyone says. I played in it. I know it's real. When we played against Club America, when I was with Nashville two years ago, that was one of the craziest games I'd ever been involved in in my whole career. it was amazing. When we played against Monterrey in the semifinals, that was a real game of intensity, quality, with high level players. I mean, you name it, and Liga MX versus MLS, it does provide it.
GOAL: Tell me more about that Club America game. Outside of the scoreline, what did it mean to you?
McCarty: It was the atmosphere in the stadium. You had about 60 percent Nashville fans and about 40 percent Club America fans. Club America, I'd argue, is the biggest team on the continent. They are the biggest club team in CONCACAF. They have the best, the most rich history of winning trophies. They're one of the wealthiest clubs, and they are constantly fighting for titles, and their fans travel so well. They provide such an awesome atmosphere in a stadium.
And so that game, for me, it was just the way in which the game unfolded. Club America goes up 1-0. I was a part of the build up in the equalizer. I ended up playing a long ball into Hany Mukhtar, who crossed it to Sam Surridge for a last minute header to tie the game, and then straight to penalty kicks. We thought Club America had actually won the game. But then the referee went to VAR and the goalkeeper stepped off the line early to save our penalty. There were fans on the field running. It took about 20 minutes to clear the field. We had security personnel chasing people around. One security guard, unfortunately, got injured. It was chaos. And the fact that we ended up winning that game and made it to the final, and, you know, we made it to penalties against Inter Miami. The penalty kicks went all the way to the goalkeepers. It was nuts.