Aw heck, we’re feeling so generous we’ll throw in Thursday’s preview for FREE!
Nothing shocking emerged from the Tuesday matches, unless you count Real España coming a handspan away from drawing LAFC. Jhow Benavidez’s 89th minute penalty was stopped by Thomas Hasal, sparing the home side a blushing result.
FC Cincinnati vs. Universidad O&M
Kickoff: 7pm ET / 4pm PT @ TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Broadcast nationally on FS2 (English) and TUDN (Español). Streaming on ESPN+
FC Cincinnati lead 4-0 on aggregate.
Ayoub Jabbari made a strong case for Cincy dropping $2.3M to acquire him from Grenoble. His initial loan spell at the tail end of the 2025 season was underwhelming, clocking 163 total minutes and no contributions. But under the lights in Santiago, Dominican Republic, he came off the bench and scored twice in 30 minutes to seal the Orange & Blue win.
Cincy handily dispatched Atlanta United on Saturday’s home opener 2-0, though you could argue the scoreline should have been more and they waited until the final ten minutes to put the crowd at ease.
There should be no delay in Wednesday’s match. Cincy will come out strong, hit the visitors hard and then see the game out with some reserve players.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Cartaginés
Kickoff: 9pm ET / 6pm PT @ BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia
Broadcast nationally on FS2 (English) and TUDN (Español). Streaming on ESPN+ Score tied at 0-0 on aggregate
One of the more shocking scorelines from last week across all global competitions was this goose egg draw. Vancouver visited Cartago, a province just south of the capital San José, and simply could not score. They had 75% possession but lacked a clinical edge, only generating 1.29 xG. The Cartaginés goalkeeper Kevin Briceño was Man of the Match, keeping his side in the contest with a number of big saves.
The ‘Caps made a push towards the end to at least get something. Thomas Müller subbed in for Vancouver in the 65th minute but it was not enough to crack through a stubborn and very physical Cartaginés team playing in front of an energetic home crowd.
Given that Vancouver had a difficult time against Real Salt Lake last Saturday, only eking out a 1-0 win, this match could get interesting. RSL’s starting line-up was composed mainly of academy graduates and second stringers due to training ground injuries that took out three starters, and issues with visas for their new international signings. Cartaginés know their formula of low block and tough physicality can work, the question is whether they can hold one for 90 minutes.
LA Galaxy vs. Sporting San Miguélito
Kickoff: 11pm ET / 8pm PT @ Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA
Broadcast nationally on FS2 (English) and TUDN (Español). Streaming on ESPN+ Score tied at 1-1 on aggregate
Another eyebrow raising scoreline here, but let’s be frank, it’s not unexpected. Galaxy’s season last year could be politely described as “poor” but most fans would preface that with an expletive. From an 18 game winless streak, they recovered enough to make it into the Leagues Cup semi-final, which is how they found themselves down in a windy Panama stadium last week facing Sporting San Miguélito.
The home side took the lead when Galaxy’s defense fell asleep and allowed Rodrigo Tello to waltz into the far post unmarked and head in Ángel Valencia’s cross. While outshooting San Miguélito 18 to 5, the two sides each had three on frame efforts. Halftime substitutes from Greg Vanney gave Galaxy some spark. Marco Reus’ 68th minute shot was saved, but the parry fell to João Klauss who passed it onto Joseph Paintsil for the goal. That saved LA’s honor, but they could not find another that night.
All this makes the final Wednesday night feature a thrilling prospect. LA will need to control the tempo and be mindful of Miguélito’s counters. Whether they’ll start strong, or keep the usual starters on the bench for second half firepower, will have to be seen. But Greg Vanney has to understand the gravity of the match. After their opening night draw with NYCFC, being knocked out in Round 1 would be a very bad look.
Philadelphia Union vs. Defense Force FC
Kickoff: Thursday 7pm ET / 4pm PT @ Subaru Park, Chester, PA
Broadcast nationally on FS2 (English) and TUDN (Español). Streaming on ESPN+ Philadelphia Union leads 5-0 on aggregate.
There were some questions about how Philadelphia would adapt offensively after losing Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre during the off-season. That pair accounted for 42% of the team’s goals. Based on last week’s performance in Trinidad & Tobago, things looked good for the Union. Of course, Defense Force isn’t the strongest side, but it must have been comforting for manager Bradley Carnell to see four different names on the score sheet from open play (Union’s last goal was a penalty).
And then came the weekend. Tai Baribo struck in the 9th minute, but the goal was called back for offsides in the build up. But the warning shot had been fired, and Baribo would find the net again in the 23rd minute off the fast break and a perfectly weighted pass from João Peglow. He would have doubled his total right before halftime but his redirected effort caromed off the inside post. Union looked bright after the HT whistle, but lost steam when their newly signed striker Ezekiel Alladoh drew a straight red card in the 58th minute. His contact on Lucas Bartlett looked minor, but apparently there were some words exchanged within earshot of the official that earned him the early trip to the showers. Philadelphia couldn’t recover the goal deficit down a player.
Alladoh’s suspension will not be enforced in Wednesday’s match, so expect him to start so he can continue to develop rapport with his teammates. And hopefully he’ll keep his mouth shut.
