The last three days have been a reminder of everything Leagues Cup is supposed to be about: Goals, exciting matchups, audacious skill moves, and stressful shootouts. We saw them all in the Round of 32 as the field once again was winnowed down by half.
Things are getting serious now with every team left asking that ambitious question: Why not us? Why couldn’t we be the team that lifts the trophy? Or at least secure one of the Concacaf Champions Cup berths awarded to the top three teams? As the field slims, it increasingly feels like everyone has a chance.
Let’s look at a few storylines worth keeping an eye on in the Round of 16, but first a glance back on what we’ll remember from the Round of 32.
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Neutral’s delight*
The remote was put to good use Friday night with Apple TV’s multi-views coming in clutch. At one point, there were three matches simultaneously in a penalty shootout, and everything aligned perfectly. As one player would take his shot, another would approach, leading to a barrage of tense moments.
In the end NYCFC advanced past the New England Revolution thanks to a flawless mark, even in sudden death. After both teams failed their opener, Cruz Azul converted the rest of its kicks and got a save from Kevin Mier to beat Orlando City, moving on to set up a contest with Mazatlán. And, FC Cincinnati nosed past Santos Laguna with all six of its takers converting and Aldo Lopez sending his shot over the bar.
With no matches ending in a tie and my attempts to watch four games at once thanks to the power of technology, I could see the scenario developing and started rooting for the simultaneous shootouts. It delivered, in one of the most entertaining and overwhelming moments of the summer of soccer.
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West Coast bias*
The earlier nights of Leagues Cup action also had me on the edge of my seat but for a different reason: The teams that advanced were exerting full control.
LAFC, Pumas, the Seattle Sounders and the San Jose Earthquakes all won by two goals or more. On Thursday night, the Sounders and Quakes were working to do each other one better. The Sounders were up 2-0 on the LA Galaxy by the eighth minute. The Quakes were up 3-0 on Necaxa by the half-hour mark and took a 4-0 advantage into the half as Hernan Lopez and Jeremy Ebobisse linked to give the team an attacking dimension not yet seen in league play.
Pumas also had their attack flowing in a delightful way as Cesar “Chino” Huerta and California native Jorge Ruvalcaba both scored in a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Huerta stood out as the clever creator who also can score for himself, qualities that have made him a rising star for the Mexico national team and put him on the radar of many top European teams.
While last year’s Leagues Cup was decided East of the Mississippi with just LAFC making the quarterfinals and no team from MLS’ Western Conference getting to the semis, this year the teams in the West look determined to have some of the biggest matches played there - though a Round of 16 tilt between LAFC and the Quakes means at least one team will go home Tuesday.
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A zany one
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A few quick words on Inter Miami against Toronto FC: That was crazy!
Matias Rojas started the scoring in the third minute and added another goal in the second half after Diego Gomez and Luis Suarez both had scored. But so, too, had Lorenzo Insigne whose double from the penalty spot kept the pressure on the reigning champions who are hoping to defend their title and play deep enough into the tournament that Lionel Messi could feature.
So far, so good from the Herons - though you have to say they didn’t exactly advance without breaking a sweat.
So what should we look forward to in the Round of 16?
Oh, you again
Leagues Cup is all about rivalry, but much of the animosity is either being created in leagues Cup or based on existing rivalries built in the domestic leagues. Three of the Round of 16 contests, however, are rematches of games we’ve enjoyed recently in cross-country competitions.
The only time in the Concacaf Champions League era (from 2008 until 2023) that an MLS team was able to win the Concacaf crown came in 2022 when the Seattle Sounders lifted the hardware and earned the ultimate bragging rights over all teams in the region, but especially against all the MLS teams that had fallen short over the years. It was a 2-2 draw in the CU for the first leg, but in Seattle it was all Sounders with Raul Ruidiaz scoring a double and Nicolas Lodeiro adding insurance in a 3-0 win that gave the Sounders a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Two years and a few months later, Pumas once again find themselves in Lumen Field looking to help ease the still-lingering frustration of falling short in Seattle.
There also is an even more recent rematch. In last year’s Leagues Cup group stage, Club América blew out St. Louis CITY SC at CityPark last season, winning 4-0 in a group-stage meeting between the clubs. The stakes are higher this time around with a ticket to the quarterfinals on the line. The site is different as well, with América utilizing its hub privileges to host the contest in Southern California, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.
Fans will be forgiven for not recalling the 2020 meetings between Tigres and NYCFC being that they were nine months apart because of a pandemic and the subsequent lockdown and freeze on soccer. But the teams did meet, first in New York when Tigres won 1-0 thanks to a late Edu Vargas goal. At the bubble in Orlando in December 2020, Andre-Pierre Gignac scored the opener in a 4-0 thrashing. Many of the key players from that NYCFC team are now gone, but those who remember will definitely want to change their fortunes this time around.
Part of a balanced diet
Last time around, there were three Liga MX vs. MLS Round of 16 matchups, plus a Clásico Regio between Tigres and Monterrey. The rest of the slate was MLS on MLS battles. This time around, we have even more of the inter-league rivalry contests that make Leagues Cup so different. In addition to the rematches mentioned above, Toluca travels to face the Colorado Rapids.
That not only means a total of four MLS v. Liga MX contest, but the bracket sets up for one guaranteed MLS v. Liga MX contest in the quarterfinals - as the winner of FC Cincinnati-Philadelphia Union will meet the winner of Cruz Azul-Mazatlán - but also the potential for several more. Last edition featured Philadelphia Union against spoiler Quéretaro and LAFC against Monterrey, with only Rayados making the semifinals from Liga MX. We’ll see if we continue to get these MLS vs. Liga MX matchups that set this tournament apart.
Champs on champs on champs
Years ago it seemed Columbus may not have an MLS team. Now, it regularly finds itself as one of the country’s soccer capitals. The reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew shook off any rust they had from their bye through the group stage and rolled past Sporting Kansas City on Friday with a 4-0 win. Their prize? A meeting with the reigning Leagues Cup champion Inter Miami.
These are the types of games we’re now used to seeing at Lower.com Field: Critical Leagues Cup contests, MLS Cup finals, even the recent All-Star Game at which Liga MX got the best of MLS.
This game will be a clash of the champions as the MLS winner plays the Leagues Cup winner for the right to square off with either Tigres or NYCFC. Tigres against Miami would be a rematch of the game we saw at NRG Stadium - this time played at a different location - but both the Crew and NYCFC are formidable rivals who could end their opponent’s journey and deny a second meeting.
This is what Leagues Cup is all about. Soak it in, and make sure the remote is working.
