2025 Leagues Cup Semifinals: Who will advance to the final?
by Tyler Doty
Leagues Cup Semifinals Set
After a long Leagues Cup qualifying phase and some heart-stopping quarterfinals, only four teams remain in contention for the championship: Orlando City, Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders, and Los Angeles Galaxy. All four teams have individual strengths that make them formidable opponents. In the case of Inter Miami, their strength lies in the fact that they already know what it takes to win this tournament, while the Galaxy are the current MLS champions. Orlando City are on a great run of form, coming off a victory over rivals Inter Miami, the current Liga MX champions. Lastly, we have the Seattle Sounders, the Mexican slayers, after thrashing Cruz Azul in the group stage. The precedent ends up benefiting the United States once again, as for the second time in a row, all four remaining teams are from the MLS. Although in the quarterfinals, the competition format had to include four teams from each league, the Mexican teams were still unable to compete against their northern neighbors.What are the Sportsbooks Saying?
In the first semifinal match, Inter Miami will face Orlando City, with the books favoring Messi and company, despite their recent thrashing at the hands of Orlando City. Current odds for an Inter Miami victory sit at -120, while a draw is at +290, and the odds for an Orlando City victory sit at +250. Inter Miami's tournament experience and star-studded lineup are giving them the edge in this matchup, despite their recent loss to Orlando City.
It should be noted that Inter Miami is a force to be reckoned with at home and will now have Lionel Messi back in the lineup after he missed the quarterfinals due to injury.
In the other matchup, the LA Galaxy will face division rivals, the Seattle Sounders. This game will be tighter because both teams are back to their best form in the MLS. Seattle are slightly favored in this matchup as odds currently sit at +135 for a Seattle Victory, while odds for a draw sit at +270, and a Galaxy victory sits at +180.
After an extremely rough 2025 season in the MLS, the Galaxy are banking on this competition to salvage their season. Comfortably out of playoff contention, the Galaxy no longer have a chance to do anything interesting in the MLS this season. They are far from the safe zone, so they can bet everything on this tournament.
