Los Angeles Football Club and Club Pachuca, respectively the MLS Cup 2022 winners and the best-performing team across the LIGA MX season, now know who their Round of 32 opponents at Leagues Cup will be. The MLS side will play their first game in the competition against FC Juárez, while the Mexican outfit will take on Houston Dynamo FC.
The tournament, which brings together all 47 teams from MLS and LIGA MX, saw the 2022 MLS champions and the team with the most points across the Apertura 2022 and Clausura 2023 awarded a bye to the knockout stages. As a result, Los Angeles FC and Club Pachuca begin their Leagues Cup campaigns later than the other 45 teams, after the group stage.
The California outfit will take the field on August 2 against the South 1 group’s runner-up in FC Juárez. The Mexican side sealed their spot in the knockouts after a 3-1 win over **Austin FC** on Saturday evening.
On the same evening, Club Pachuca will also be in action in a match-up against the second-placed finishers of the South 2 pool in Houston Dynamo FC. The fixture was confirmed after Orlando City SC’s dramatic 3-2 win over **Club Santos Laguna** on Saturday night.
The Lions clinched top spot in the group with a last-minute goal which knocked the Mexican side out of the competition. As a result, Orlando City will be going up against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF in the Round of 32.
