Four of the six Liga MX teams playing today sit seventh or higher in the current standings, which makes Matchday 7 one of the most thrilling in terms of the race to secure a knockout spot.

Columbus Crew vs. Club Léon

The brains over at FOX Sports finally chose to air an Eastern Time friendly fixture. Lucky for them there’s some skin in the game as well. Columbus are currently sitting in sixth place on four points and +2GD, so a straight win plus some goals in hand gives them a fighting chance for advancement. Léon are already eliminated.

Toluca vs. New York City FC

Sitting on five points and a +1 GD, Toluca will be out there guns-a-blazing tonight. They’re currently in fourth place with three other Liga MX sides breathing down their necks. NYCFC come into tonight with a win, a loss, and very little chance to move on unless many, many weird things happen in the next three days.

CF Montréal vs. Puebla

Unsurprisingly, there will be a good number of “dead rubber” matches over Phase 3. This is the first of those, as Montréal and Puebla are both effectively out of the advancement picture.

Houston Dynamo FC vs. Pachuca

Pachuca got a lucky draw for their final game. Houston have been a whipping boy for Liga MX sides in their last two games, with two straight losses and a -5 GD. They’re dead last in the standing, and I don’t see them getting any better. The Tuzos will be keen to get the three points and leap into the top four to advance into the knockouts.

Mazatlán FC vs. San Diego FC

San Diego seriously disappointed in this tournament. Not in terms of their on-field efforts, which have been laudable, but in their results. Despite averaging 60% possession and 11.5 shots per game, they’ve fallen twice (albeit to two strong sides: Tigres UANL and Pachuca). Mazatlán FC are a surprise. They have five points, a +2 GD with only one conceded and sit in third place. SDFC won’t roll over for them, so this match will be a feisty one.

Tigres UANL vs. LAFC

Tigres have been the most dangerous Liga MX team in the tournament so far, racking up two straight wins, six points and a +4 GD. Ángel Correa leads the tournament with four goals scored; will he add more? While Tigres want to win, even a draw/loss should be enough to keep them in the top four. With two draws (and shootout loss and win) LAFC are basically finished. A win today could put them in the top four, but they’d need some help in the other matches over the next two days to make it stick.