Saturday’s opening match of West 3 features an all-MLS clash between FC Dallas and St. Louis CITY SC at CITYPARK, where more than 22,000 passionate fans consistently fill the stands.
The start of the tournament represents a fresh beginning for both teams, who each relieved their head coaches during this MLS season. The biggest question is, which team will seize the opportunity presented by Leagues Cup’s tournament play?
Both teams are currently outside the MLS playoffs, and the Leagues Cup could boost morale and kick-start a playoff run. Peter Luccin, interim head coach of FC Dallas, understands the opportunity before them and plans to field the most competitive team, stating:
“This is a tournament that is very important for us,” he said. “That's why we are traveling and going to play with a full roster."
This will be the fourth encounter all-time between these teams, with FC Dallas holding the advantage, winning twice.
St. Louis is seeking its first Leagues Cup victory, having lost both matches last season to Columbus Crew and Club América. This year's Leagues Cup campaign gives a better shot at this feat with both of the club’s matches to be held at CITYPARK.
On the other hand, Dallas hasn’t had the best results on the road in MLS, arriving without a single road win this season. Even with that looming large, FC Dallas looks to build off their strong campaign last season, where they narrowly lost in the Round of 16 to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in penalties.
Petar Musa and Martin Paes are key players for Dallas, returning from the MLS All-Star game on Wednesday. Musa, with his 13 goals this season, is tied for fourth in goals scored in MLS. When fully healthy, Dallas has one of the best attacks on paper — but they need to survive a period without Jesus Ferreira and Alan Velasco due to injury.
Roman Burki, also returning from the MLS All-Star game, is a standout for St. Louis and aims to deliver a strong performance. CITY is going to need to get the most out of Eduard Löwen and João Klaus if they want to have a chance to advance into the round of 32.
