By IANS
Los Angeles : A record $1 million prize is on offer at the inaugural SuperLiga, a competition Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber hopes will lift the game in the US and Mexico to unprecedented heights, reports Soccernet.
The SuperLiga, which starts Tuesday, is an eight-team tournament featuring four MLS sides from the US and four clubs from the Mexican first division.
The MLS teams aiming for the highest winner's purse in North American club history are Los Angeles Galaxy, DC United, Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas.
The Mexican challenge comes from Chivas de Guadalajara, Pachuca, Club America and Monarcas Morelia.
"This is no exhibition," Garber told a news conference in Hollywood Monday at the SuperLiga's official launch. "This is a legitimate, athletic competition with serious prize money.
"It will ensure that the fans can enjoy a high-level, serious competition to see who, on a club level, will have the bragging rights in North America, at least between Mexico and the US."
Garber believes the passionate soccer rivalry which already exists between the US and Mexico will give the SuperLiga an added dimension.
"We have seen tremendous success with the Mexican national team games that have been played in large stadiums across our country. We sold out three NFL stadiums in the off-season," he explained.
"We are not expecting sell-outs. We are not expecting these games to be on the level of UEFA Champions League games. This is the beginning of a long-range deal but we are very confident that it will develop over time."
In Tuesday's opening group matches, Dallas host Monarcas Morelia at Pizza Hut Park in San Francisco and Galaxy take on Pachuca at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
A knockout phase will follow the group stage with the final scheduled for Aug 29 at a venue yet to be decided.