Club America's Herrera: MLS still isn't on Liga MX level

Club America manager Miguel Herrera feels Major League Soccer still has a ways to go.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League first-leg semifinal clash against MLS champions Toronto FC, Herrera downplayed the quality of the United States-based league, opining it's still well below the quality of Liga MX.

"Our league competes with leagues in Europe, and obviously the MLS is wanting to catch the Mexican league to also compete with the leagues in Europe in the future," Herrera said Tuesday, courtesy of ESPN's Tom Marshall.

Now 22 years removed from its inaugural 1996 campaign, MLS has bolstered its team count from just 10 squads to 22 over its lifespan. Its marketability has also been boosted significantly in recent years thanks to the "Designated Player Rule," which allows sides to sign international football stars to salaries significantly higher than the amount allowed under the imposed salary cap, beginning with David Beckham in 2007.

The league's ability to attract international talent was invigorated further just two weeks ago, when the LA Galaxy acquired Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic via Targeted Allocation Money.

While that's all significant progress, Herrera believes MLS is still lacking in quality compared to its neighbouring league south of the border. And despite two MLS sides eliminating a pair of Mexican teams in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals - a Liga MX side has won every edition of the continental competition since the format was overhauled in 2008 - he remains firm in his evaluation.

"I think we have to show on the pitch that our league is still solid," Herrera said. "I saw both the games between Toronto and New York (Red Bulls) against Tijuana and Tigres, and I felt the Mexican teams played better."