With nine matchdays down and 44 matches played, the picture of the Knockout Round bracket is coming into clearer focus. Some clubs are sitting pretty with their Group first place spot secured while others will have to wait until the bitter end of the Group Stage play for their Leagues Cup fate to be sealed.
Who’s In
Club America & the Columbus Crew – as LIGA MX and MLS 2023 Champions respectively – have been enjoying a bye into the Round of 32.
Fourteen other clubs have secured their first-place spot thanks to their top-notch showings in the Group Stage:
- FC Cincinnati (East 1)
- Orlando City (East 2)
- Tigres (East 3)
- Philadelphia Union (East 4)
- Toronto FC (East 6)
- D.C. United (East 7)
- Austin FC (West 1)
- LA Galaxy (West 2)
- FC Juarez (West 3)
- Toluca (West 4)
- Portland Timbers (West 5)
- Necaca (West 6)
- Vancouver Whitecaps (West 7)
- Houston Dynamo (West 8)
An additional fourteen are through to the Knockout Round with a second-place finish in their groups:
- New York City FC (East 1)
- CF Montreal (East 2)
- Inter Miami (East 3)
- Cruz Azul (East 4)
- Pachuca (East 6)
- Santos Laguna (East 7)
- Pumas (West 1)
- San Jose Earthquakes (West 2)
- St. Louis CITY SC (West 3)
- Sporting Kansas City (West 4)
- Colorado Rapids (West 5)
- Seattle Sounders (West 6)
- LAFC (West 7)
- Atlas (West 8)
Who’s Out
Unfortunately for 14 clubs, their Leagues Cup journey has already come to an end. New York Red Bulls, FC Dallas, Queretaro, Chicago Fire, Puebla, Club Tijuana, Monterrey, Atlanta United, Atletico de San Luis, Charlotte FC, Chivas de Guadalajara, Minnesota United, Real Salt Lake, and Leon will all have to wait until next year’s edition of the tournament for their try at lifting the Leagues Cup trophy.
Who’s Still Fighting
New England Revolution & Nashville SC (East 5)
On August 6, one game stands alone: New England vs. Nashville at Gillette Stadium. And Nashville really needs to hit it out of the park if they want to repeat their 2023 Leagues Cup performance and make it to the Final. Only a win by 2+ goals will see them through to the Knockout Round. Anything less, it’ll be New England and Mazatlan. The placements do come down to the wire: the Rev will take #1 and Mazatlan #2 in most cases, except if Nashville win by just 1 goal, in which case Mazatlan takes the top spot and New England the second. If Nashville wins by exactly 2 goals, Mazatlan also takes the first, but if they win by 3 or more, the tickets will swap and Nashville will sit atop Group East 5.
For the fanbases of the clubs who have yet to lock in their Knockout Round position, the road to the Final will live or die with the last Group Stage game.
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Ticket Information
Tickets for all matches – including LIGA MX hub venues – are available on LeaguesCup.com/tickets and are also available to fans via the hosting MLS club, if applicable. MLS club season ticket holders should contact their club representative for more information or visit LeaguesCup.com and follow @LeaguesCup on social. For every ticket purchased, two meals will be donated as part of the United Against Hunger program.
Tune In
Fans in more than 100 countries and regions can tune in to all the Leagues Cup action on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. TelevisaUnivision, TV Azteca, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will broadcast select Leagues Cup matches in Canada, Mexico and the United States
