Gonzalo Piovi said Cruz Azul enters the Leagues Cup carrying a disadvantage that is built into the format itself: Liga MX teams play every match in the United States as visitors, while MLS sides stay on familiar ground.
The Cruz Azul defender made the point before the match in Cruz Azul Vs Philadelphia, saying the difference is felt most in the setting. He said MLS teams have their fans behind them and know their own field, while Mexican clubs arrive having traveled and without the comfort of playing at home.
Piovi put the contrast in direct terms. He said the gap between the Leagues Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup is clear because the latter is played home and away, a setup he described as the fairer test of where each team stands. In his view, the Leagues Cup asks Liga MX clubs to compete under conditions that already lean toward the home side.
That is why he said the trip matters as much as the opponent. Piovi said Cruz Azul traveled five hours the day before the match and had to adjust to a field it does not normally use. He said those are the kinds of disadvantages Mexican teams face when they come into the tournament, and he added that playing MLS teams in those conditions makes the challenge even harder.
Still, Piovi did not frame the situation as an excuse. He said Cruz Azul arrived prepared and motivated to start with a victory, and he called opening a tournament with a win an important boost for any run. That leaves the same contradiction sitting at the center of his remarks: he sees the Leagues Cup as unfair to Liga MX clubs, yet he also believes Cruz Azul can step in and compete on the terms it is given.
For now, the broader issue remains unchanged. Teams from Mexican soccer must adapt to MLS territory in the Leagues Cup, where the crowd, the field and the travel all tilt in one direction. Piovi’s comments do not change the format, but they sharpen the question behind every Cruz Azul match in the competition: whether a club can overcome a structure that gives its rival the home edge before the first whistle.
