The Leagues Cup 2026 has started and off the pitch, one of the people who has drawn attention is Katia Itzel García. The Mexican traveled to the binational tournament as part of the referees of the Liga MX and has been the subject of conversation in the Jornada 1. The world champion was fourth referee in the defeat of Pumas against Charlotte FC, after which she starred in a peculiar moment when she refused to sign the jersey of the university students. While this Thursday she came out as the central referee in the game of Chicago Fire against Necaxa. Katia Itzel refereed in the Leagues Cup because referees from the Liga MX and MLS are designated without regard to the clubs. For example, in the 1-2 defeat of Rayados de Monterrey against Orlando Pride, the referee was the Mexican Adonai Escobedo. Despite the questions about the designation of a Mexican referee before the start of the game, Katia Itzel refused to sign the jersey of the university students in a peculiar moment. The referee harmed the Rayados in small decisions, such as fouls in the midfield, in the first half against Chicago Fire, which went to the break 1-0 with the goal of Jonathan Dean. For the second half, Andre Gutman widened the advantage of the Americans. The Leagues Cup is a binational tournament that brings together clubs from the Liga MX and MLS. In this tournament, referees from both leagues are designated without regard to the clubs. The Liga MX is in 8th position with 6 points, 2 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss in 3 games. The title of the Liga MX is 1 point behind the leaders, Club América. In terms of goals, Necaxa has scored 5 and received 5 goals, with a balance of 0.