Cruz Azul tied 1-1 with Atlanta United FC in the regular 90 minutes, but they secured a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout victory. La mäquina Celeste had to endure a tough match but managed to advance to the Round of 16 in the Leagues Cup, where they will face Charlotte FC.
In the 20th minute, Moisés found himself alone with the ball in the area after a couple of headers from his teammates. He unleashed a powerful shot that beat Brad Guzan, putting Cruz Azul up 1-0 on the scoreboard. In the second half, Cruz Azul stopped attacking and adopted a more defensive approach, allowing Atlanta United to play their best football. In the 75th minute, Rodolfo Rotondi attempted to intercept the ball from Mosquera but accidentally assisted Thiago Almada, who fired a first-time shot into the back of the net, leveling the score at 1-1.
During the penalty shootout, Carlos Salcedo hit the post with his spot-kick, but he was fortunate as Sebastián Jurado later saved Miguel Berry's shot. The match was decided when Augusto Lotti scored after Juan José Purata's miss in sudden death penalties.
This result brought some relief to Cruz Azul manager Tuca Ferretti, as it seemed the club's leadership had given him an ultimatum to advance to the next round.
This Saturday, Charlotte FC sealed their spot in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 with a 4-1 win over Club Necaxa. After just six minutes, Brandt Bronico opened the scoring from an assist by Karol Świderski. The Mexican side had pushed up in search of an equalizer, but were unable to convert their chances, which cost them dearly, as Świderski doubled the lead on 42 minutes. In the seventh minute of added time before the break, Scott Arfield added a third.
The second half saw the MLS side completely dominate proceedings, although they struggled to add another goal. Patrick Agyemang would finally secure the result with a fourth goal in the 87th minute, while Vicente Poggi netted a consolation goal for the LIGA MX side seconds before the end of the game.
As a result, the North Carolina outfit, who had beaten **FC Dallas** on penalties in their opening game, have finished top of the South 4 pool and are through to the playoffs.
The Mexican side, on the other hand, have been knocked out of the competition after a second defeat at Leagues Cup 2023. Their first match was a 3-0 loss to **FC Dallas**.
There was late drama as Orlando City SC beat **Club Santos Laguna** 3-2 in a comeback win to secure their spot in the playoffs. The hard-fought encounter saw the Mexican side open the scoring on 41 minutes through Raúl López. Just three minutes later, though, Orlando City would equalize, as Duncan McGuire found the back of the net from a Rafael Santos assist.
After the break, it was the MLS side who completed the turnaround within the first minute of the second half as Mauricio Pereyra found the top corner with an impressive strike from range. Just before the hour mark, and via a VAR decision, the score was level again through Harold Preciado.
Amid an electric finale in which the game seemed destined for a penalty shoot-out, it was Peruvian midfielder Wilder Cartagena who emerged with the late winner for the MLS outfit. Now, Orlando City face the tall task of taking on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF in the Round of 32.
FC Juárez caused a surprise during the night and became the second team to qualify from their group for the knockout rounds of Leagues Cup.
The match ended 3-1 in favor of the LIGA MX team. The scorers for FC Juárez were Sebastián Saucedo (35') and Aitor García (62', 69'), while Ethan Finlay (23') scored the goal for Austin FC.
With this result, FC Juárez secured the second spot in Group South 1, behind Mazatlán FC, and will be present in the next round of the tournament.
Pumas did their homework on D.C. United, defeating them resoundingly and securing their place in the next round of the tournament as the first in their group.
The Pedregal side were buoyed on by the presence of more than 350 fans who traveled to support them and were motivated by the "goya" cheer to defeat Wayne Rooney’s side with a score of 3-0. The goals were scored by César Huerta (6'), Nathan Silva (42'), and Matías Fernández (52').
With this result, Pumas finished at the top of Group East 2, while D.C. United secured the second spot. Both teams will advance to the next round of the competition.
