East 1: Who’s playing, fixtures and top players to follow

Leagues Cup 2023 is the third edition of the annual tournament between clubs from Major League Soccer and LIGA MX. The first tournament commenced in July 2019 with four teams participating from each league. The first edition was a single elimination tournament hosted in the United States with the final played in Las Vegas on September 18, 2019.

However, the competition is being ramped up for the 2023 edition. This year sees an expansion to 47 clubs from MLS and LIGA MX. The top three Leagues Cup teams qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup with the champion receiving a bye to the Round of 16.

The new format sees all teams divided into 15 groups and distributed based on their rankings in their respective leagues in 2022. The two top teams from each group will advance to the round of 32. Only two teams will not take part in the group stage, that is Los Angeles FC and Pachuca, the MLS and LIGA MX champions, respectively. Both head straight into the knockout stages of the Leagues Cup 2023.

Which clubs are in East 1?

The group will consist of Philadelphia Union, Tijuana, and Queretaro.

When will East 1 play their matches?

Philadelphia Union vs Tijuana -Subaru Park | July 22 | 6:00MX-8:00ET

Philadelphia Union vs Queretaro -Subaru Park | July 26 | 5:30MX-7:30ET

Tijuana vs Queretaro -Subaru Park | July 30 | 5:30MX-7:30ET

Who are the players to watch in East 1?

Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake, Daniel Gazdag, Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner

Tijuana: Jesus Corona, Lucas Cavallini, Carlos Gonzalez

Querétaro: Joaquín Montecinos, Camilo Sanvezzo, Federico Lertora

How were the groups formed in the 2023 Leagues Cup?

From second to 16^th in MLS, clubs were distributed per group in descending order. Meanwhile, from second to 16^th in LIGA MX, teams are distributed into groups in the reverse order. The remaining 13 clubs from MLS and the two clubs from Liga MX were drawn to complete the trios in the groups.