The second matchday of the 2026 Leagues Cup begins, and Chivas de Guadalajara will face FC Dallas in a great matchup to open this round at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
While Chivas could not get off to a good start in this edition of the Leagues Cup, drawing 1-1 and losing on penalties to LAFC in the first matchday, Dallas did get the job done, defeating Querétaro 2-0.
Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake will face Atlante, and Toluca will visit LAFC.
Here’s everything you need to know before Saturday’s Leagues Cup action. Let’s get into it.
Preview: Chivas vs. FC Dallas
Kickoff: 9:10 pm ET / 6:10 pm PT @ PayPal Park, San Jose, CA
How to watch live: Streaming on Apple TV
Gabriel Milito’s side has struggled to return to the best version it showed in the previous Liga MX tournament. In the current Apertura 2026, Chivas have won only once: a 1-0 victory over FC Juárez in Matchday 2, after losing 2-0 to Toluca in the season opener and drawing 1-1 with Puebla in Matchday 3.
In these matches, there has been one standout player: Roberto Alvarado. The versatile player, who also stood out with Mexico at the recently concluded World Cup, scored Chivas’ only goal against Juarez, and he also scored the goal in the draw against Puebla.
Additionally, in Matchday 1 of the Leagues Cup, where they drew 1-1 with LAFC in regulation time before losing 5-4 on penalties, Alvarado also scored in the 42nd minute, after Denis Bouanga had put the California side ahead in the 38th minute.
Dallas, meanwhile, was also not going through its best moment before beginning its activity in the current Leagues Cup, as they had gone three consecutive matches without being able to collect three points, drawing 0-0 with LA Galaxy on Aug. 1, losing 1-0 to San Diego FC on July 25 and drawing 2-2 with Portland Timbers on July 22.
However, they started their Leagues Cup campaign very well, defeating Queretaro 2-0 on Aug. 5, with a goal from Santiago Moreno in the 47th minute and another from Joaquin Valiente in the 81st minute.
Dallas currently sits sixth in the MLS Western Conference with 27 points after 18 matches played.
Therefore, the team coached by Eric Quill arrives with perhaps a better mood than the Liga MX side, but Chivas arrives hungry for a victory and with an enormous need to finally give their fans something to celebrate. Chivas have a large following in California, where this match will be played at PayPal Park in San Jose.
This could be the perfect setting for Chivas to return to winning ways.
Match prediction: Chivas 2-0 FC Dallas
Preview: Real Salt Lake vs. Atlante
Kickoff: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT @ America First Field, Sandy, UT
How to watch live: Streaming on Apple TV
Real Salt Lake is another team that did not arrive in its best form at the start of the Leagues Cup, as they were unable to win any of their last three MLS matches. They lost 3-1 to LAFC on July 22, lost 2-1 to Portland Timbers on July 25 and drew 1-1 with St. Louis City SC on Aug. 1.
In their Leagues Cup opener, they drew 1-1 with Tigres UANL in regulation time, with Pablo Ruiz scoring in the 16th minute in response to the goal Juan Brunetta had scored just six minutes into the match. However, they fell on penalties by a score of 6-5.
Currently, Pablo Mastroeni’s team sits fifth in the MLS Western Conference with 27 points after 17 matches played.
Atlante, meanwhile, made a good impression by defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 in their Leagues Cup opener, although Vancouver fielded an alternative lineup in that match. However, Atlante’s good performance is not an isolated event, as they were coming off a 3-2 victory over Liga MX giants Cruz Azul and a 1-1 draw with Club America.
That said, they got off to a bad start in the Apertura 2026 with a 2-1 loss to Necaxa.
Match prediction: Real Salt Lake 2-1 Atlante
Preview: Toluca vs. LAFC
Kickoff: 11:20 pm ET / 8:20 pm PT @ BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
How to watch live: Streaming on Apple TV
Toluca vs. LAFC is perhaps another one of the most interesting matches on Saturday’s Leagues Cup schedule.
The Diablos Rojos lived up to expectations Wednesday by convincingly defeating Seattle Sounders 3-0. Antonio Mohamed’s team not only took advantage of the altitude at Estadio Nemesio Diez, but also the support of the home fans, winning with goals from Jesus Gallardo in the third minute, Helinho in the 64th minute, and Federico Vinas in the 90th minute plus three.
However, LAFC will also arrive in good spirits, as they defeated Chivas on Wednesday as well, drawing 1-1 in regulation time, with Denis Bouanga scoring in the 38th minute, before claiming the victory on penalties by a score of 5-4.
Before that, the Los Angeles team had generally been showing good form, as they had defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1 on July 22 and Sporting Kansas City 4-0 on July 25.
They drew 1-1 with Vancouver on Aug. 1, and Marc Dos Santos’ team currently sits second in the Western Conference with 34 points from 19 matches played, just behind the Whitecaps, who have the same number of points but have played 17 matches.
Match prediction: Toluca 1-0 LAFC
