'It was like I was at home' - USMNT legend Jozy Altidore on his ties to Liga MX, MLS' growth and Leagues Cup's evolving rivalry

These days, Altidore's life is mostly about the Leagues Cup. This has been a compelling iteration of the competition that, in truth, rests on something of a knife's edge. All four semifinalists in 2025 were MLS clubs. And even if every single last-eight game was settled by one goal or on penalties, American sides held a clear advantage. They were just, well, better.

But this year things look different. The quarterfinal field was evenly split, but Liga MX battered some of MLS’s best during Phase One. For the second straight year, clubs faced only opponents from the other league during the opening stage. The results were far from encouraging for MLS. Inter Miami, Charlotte, FC Cincinnati, Nashville and Vancouver - all considered MLS Cup contenders - failed to reach the knockout rounds. Liga MX’s strongest sides, meanwhile, moved on.

"It's been a really good iteration this year, so really excited to see all the excitement around Leagues Cup and around soccer in the United States," he said.

For Altidore, though, the biggest takeaway is change. He grew up in an era where Liga MX and Mexican soccer at large were the superior power. His United States Men's National Team might have competed in major tournaments - and won the Gold Cup shortly before Altidore made his debut. But he experienced fluctuations in quality. He was on a Gold Cup-winning roster just once, and finished second twice. The rivalry used to be indicative of that - the best of Mexico against the best of the U.S. The rivalry used to be an extension of the national-team battle - the best of Mexico against the best of the U.S. Now, at club level, it is shaped by far more international rosters.

"Early on in MLS, you would say there were more American players, and I think now Inter Miami is a great example, right? It's a team that's littered with South American talent, European talent. I think you can go down the list and name a few teams like that - Chicago Fire, LAFC. There's a ton of teams now that have kind of international influence. So I think the rivalry has expanded to more of a league level than it was just the USA-Mexico type of rivalry," he said.

Yet the USMNT remains very much the focus for Altidore. He played for the U.S. 115 times, scored 42 goals, and put on the jersey at two World Cups. Few U.S. internationals can boast more impressive European careers than Altidore, who played for five different sides across the pond in almost a decade.

His most productive years, though, came in MLS. Altidore joined his USMNT teammate Michael Bradley at Toronto in 2015. The duo won MLS Cup together, and finished as runners-up twice. Back then, there was skepticism as to whether MLS players were good enough for the national side - such was the emergence of talent in Europe.

Now, though, since Altidore's retirement, the USMNT have gone the other way. Manager Mauricio Pochettino made it abundantly clear in his introductory press conference that he was eager to dip into domestic talent. Eight MLS players were named to his 26-man World Cup roster. A handful of MLS-developed talents were also included. It serves as proof of concept. In effect, the league doesn't matter - as long as you're performing.

"I'm a big believer that it doesn't necessarily matter where you play... It's how you're playing while you're there. In the MLS, it's no different. I think guys have to really take it upon themselves and say, 'hey, it's not enough to have a good contract. What are you doing week in and week out?'" Altidore said.

Yet at the same time, Altidore has advocated for the MLS-to-Europe pipeline to continue to grow.

"I love the examples of some of the young players. You see [Zavier] Gozo going from Real Salt Lake to Crystal Palace for a big chunk of change, and I love to see that because I see a kid that week in and week out is not content with where he was. He wants to push the envelope. He wants to announce himself to the world," he said.

More of that, and the USMNT will be set up well.

"That's how you have a really good league, when you have, you know, 10,15, 20 of those types of players?" Altidore said.

That could yet happen - if only because the league has improved vastly since Altidore last kicked a ball there in 2023. Talent influx has been a massive part of that.

"You're seeing, I would say, three or four times the number of transfers from players from the Italian league, the Premier League. You're seeing some of the best leagues in the world; their talents come and play here, and I think that overall raises the bar," he said.

Messi has, no doubt, helped. But in Altidore's opinion, the pull that he brings is much more valuable than him as an individual talent.

"MLS now has stars basically from all around the world. Casemiro, for example, was a really interesting transfer to me, having him move to Inter Miami. But it speaks to him obviously wanting to play alongside and experience what it's like to play with Messi. But it says a lot about the league that these players are coming without thinking about it now, willing and wanting to come play in MLS," he said.

Of course, MLS can only improve. There is talk that significant changes to roster rules are coming, which will allow teams to spend a bit more freely. The switch to a European-esque fall-spring calendar, scheduled for the 2027-28 season, could signal a sea change.

Altidore isn't quite sold.

"It's a little bit of give and take because I do like the policing of the spending in a way. The other side of it is, can we loosen up right a little bit the spending constraints to provide ownership and provide teams with a little bit more wiggle room to get some more quality," he said.

Altidore broke the mold in a way. He had already built a decorated MLS career by then. He was a two-time All-Star and won MLS Cup, the Supporters’ Shield and three Canadian Championships with Toronto. But during the final years of his career, he finally went south of the border.

He might have gone before. In 2018, Club America and Tigres made serious pushes to sign him. Altidore said no, mostly because his family was settled in Toronto - and he was competing for the MLS Cup. But when another opportunity came up, some four years later, sentiment drove him to the highest level of Mexican football. He penned a loan deal at Puebla, fulfilling a childhood dream of sorts.

"I always thought about it, and having played in Europe, I always wondered what it was like playing Liga MX because I grew up watching Liga MX with my dad. It was some of the first football that we were able to consume living in South Florida," he said.

He was hardly the first prominent American to play in Liga MX; Marcelo Balboa, DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan all had stints there. But few arrived with Altidore’s particular connection to Mexican soccer. Moving there still represented something of a risk, not least because of the rivalry between the United States and Mexico.

"I was definitely skeptical of [moving to Mexico]. My parents were, in a way, really worried about that because of the rivalry. But man, when I tell you I was received with open arms, that's an understatement. It was so incredibly warm and welcoming, from my teammates to the staff to the people that I would see in my hotel or on the street," Altidore said.

In fact, he now regrets not moving when he was in his prime.

"For me, it was like I was at home. I really, really loved it. It's one of the things I look back on, and I always think, 'what if I went there a bit earlier?' because I think I would have enjoyed it," he said.

It leaves Altidore uniquely equipped to comment on Leagues Cup. He hasn’t played professionally in more than three years, but he knows what it means to compete on both sides of the divide. And even when games are staged in MLS stadiums, home-field advantage can be complicated. Club America supporters, in particular, outnumbered Portland Timbers fans during a Phase One match at Providence Park earlier this month - much to the chagrin of Portland’s Kristoffer Velde.

Altidore was not surprised by the turnout.

“With a team like Club America, who, in this part of the world, is by far the biggest team, with support in the millions around the country, it’s not a surprise,” Altidore said. “It’s tough when you play some of the biggest teams on the continent.”

Tuesday’s first two quarterfinals only strengthened Liga MX’s hand. Monterrey edged Chicago 2-1, with Orbelín Pineda’s spectacular 83rd-minute strike ending the Fire’s run after Philip Zinckernagel had equalized. The anticipated duel between Robert Lewandowski and former Chicago striker Hugo Cuypers never quite caught fire: Lewandowski failed to register a shot, while Cuypers earned a first-half penalty that Lucas Ocampos sent off the post.

León’s passage was far more emphatic. Diber Cambindo scored twice, and Sebastián Vegas added another in a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake, ensuring Liga MX claimed the first two semifinal berths. The balance could tilt even further Wednesday. Monterrey will face the winner of Club America-Columbus, while León will meet either Toluca or Austin.

Before the quarterfinals, Altidore saw a field with no obvious favorite. Tuesday’s contrasting games only reinforced the unpredictability he believes makes the competition so compelling.

“You have four or five teams where anything can happen, and I think that’s so exciting because it makes for great entertainment, high-level football, and I’m looking forward to watching,” he said.