These are the matchups Leagues Cup is all about.
Ordinarily, Club Santos Laguna would be unlikely to meet D.C. United in any traditional competition prior to the introduction of Leagues Cup, yet the two teams provide a fascinating matchup fans will be eager to witness.
Following their opening penalty shootout victory, the Black-and-Red are looking to ride the momentum to an improvement on last season’s Round of 32 finish by winning group East 7 and hopefully their first Leagues Cup knockout match.
“We’ve been playing really good soccer recently,” beamed goalscoring midfielder Peter Stroud. “It seems like momentum is rolling for us and that’s a really positive thing. That’s a team you want to be a part of. Momentum is a big thing in this league and in this tournament especially. We’ve just been playing really good soccer and we want to keep doing that.”
On the other side, Los Guerreros are focused on showing LIGA MX’s superiority by capturing their first Leagues Cup victory after falling at the group stage last year.
“Rivalry is always good and we have to take advantage of the different opportunities we have,” said Santos Laguna manager Ignacio “Nacho” Ambríz. “U.S. soccer is growing a lot. They are bringing a lot of interesting players but our league is also very competitive. We are better but we have to show that on the pitch.”
Laguneros' most difficult objective on the path to glory Wednesday night will be slowing down United striker Christian Benteke. The 33-year-old Premier League veteran has been exceptional since moving stateside, hanging one goal behind the MLS Golden Boot lead with 16 goals through 21 matches this season.
Challenging the towering figure of the Black-and-Red captain in the air is a near impossibility. Luckily, Santos excels at the back, led by homegrown Mexican international goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo who dons the armband for Los Guerreros. Aside from conceding three second-half goals to Tigres UANL in their last match, Santos Laguna’s defensive unit only conceded one goal per match in the club’s first three games of the LIGA MX Apertura campaign.
In a rare occurrence, Ambríz revealed he plans to start the same lineup he did on Saturday against Tigres aside from Hugo Rodríguez — who will replace Anderson Santamarí at center-back. By leaving talented 21-year-old Mexican striker Santiago Muñoz — the team’s lone Apertura goalscorer this season — on the bench, Laguneros will rely on newly acquired La Liga veteran Anthony Lozano to finish the chances created by his teammates. Continuing the trend of intriguing matchups, Santos Laguna’s lackluster attack will battle a D.C. team that struggles defensively with the most goals conceded (50) in the MLS Eastern Conference this year — already more than the team conceded in the entirety of last season.
Although both clubs currently sit outside of the playoff positions in their respective domestic divisions, Leagues Cup provides each with a highly-valued opportunity to earn silverware or a Concacaf Champions Cup bid down a different path.
The only question now is: Which team will take advantage?
