The first round of Leagues Cup saw Cruz Azul visit Philadelphia Union in a highly anticipated clash between the Liga MX Clausura champions and the MLS Supporters’ Shield winners. That match did not disappoint, with the Union coming up short in a 1-0 loss. They now look to rebound as they take on Necaxa, another club who lost their opener. It may already be too late for both teams to qualify for the knockouts considering the unforgiving format of Leagues Cup, but a loss on Sunday would seal their fate. In other Eastern Conference vs. Liga MX action, Chicago Fire hosts Santos Laguna and Nashville SC plays Atlético San Luis. For a preview of Cruz Azul vs. NYCFC, click here.
Match Details
Philadelphia Union vs. Necaxa
Kickoff: 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
Watch on Apple TV
Chicago Fire vs. Santos Laguna
Kickoff: 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT
SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Illinois
Watch on Apple TV
Nashville SC vs. Atlético San Luis
Kickoff: 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT
GEODIS Park, Nashville, Tennessee
Watch on Apple TV
Union Looking To Bounce Back From Contentious Defeat
Here’s a fact that nobody would’ve ever believed after the first half of the season. Philadelphia came into Leagues Cup as the hottest team in MLS. They beat Red Bull New York, Seattle Sounders, and Atlanta United to start Ryan Richter’s tenure as interim manager with three straight wins. That was all put to the test on Thursday as Liga MX title holders Cruz Azul came to town. Despite the end result, the Union passed that test.
Philadelphia came out looking scared in the first half. Cavan Sullivan even said post-game that “we gave them a little too much respect,” which certainly showed in the first 45 minutes. Cruz Azul took the lead just three minutes in and would have had a second 10 minutes later if not for a narrow offside call. However, the Union showed who they are in the second half. Philly dominated after the interval, taking 11 shots with three on target. The aforementioned Sullivan had two big chances himself that he failed to capitalize on. Controversy struck in the 89th minute when what looked like a blatant handball in the box from Cruz Azul’s Gonzalo Piovi didn’t even go to VAR with the referee unwilling to check it. That mistake could now cost the Union a place in the knockout stage.
Now needing a flawless last two matches and some help, the first step for Richter’s men is bouncing back against Necaxa. The biggest thing to fix will be playing the Union way for the entirety of the game. If the performance from the second half ends up being indicative of their play for the rest of the tournament, that shouldn’t be a problem. Another thing to work on is getting service into the strikers. It was a quiet night for Milan Iloski and Ezekiel Alladoh on Thursday, with the latter only touching the ball once in the opposing box. That could come if Quinn Sullivan manages to get more involved. He wasn’t as effective as Philly would’ve hoped in his first start since returning from an ACL tear. Once he starts building chemistry with his brother, watch out.
Homecoming For Necaxa Striker
This match will be a very special moment for one player in particular. Necaxa’s starting striker Julián Carranza returns to Subaru Park for the first time since leaving the Union in June 2024. In the pre-match press conference, Carranza admitted he “didn’t have the chance to” say a proper goodbye to the Union fanbase. The Argentine marksman scored 43 goals during his two and a half years in Philadelphia.
Carranza would love nothing more than to mark his return with a goal. Necaxa are still looking for their first goal in Leagues Cup this year. They struggled to break down a resolute Fire defense led by Carranza’s former Union teammate Jack Elliott on Thursday night. Although the Mexican side managed to take six shots on target, no clear cut chances arose and they conceded once in each half to their American hosts in a 2-0 loss.
Wingers Javier Ruiz and Juan Torres will be tasked with creating more chances for Necaxa’s number nine. Carranza scored in each of the first three matches of the new Liga MX season. Against a Philadelphia team that he knows well, there will be a better opportunity for Necaxa to find the net. On the defensive side, they’ll have to be aware of Kai Wagner and Frankie Westfield. Necaxa conceded to both of Chicago’s fullbacks and now have to face an outside back duo who are an integral part to the Union attack.
Chicago Fire vs. Santos Laguna
As mentioned previously, Chicago Fire kicked off their Leagues Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Necaxa. The defense has been a strength all season, conceding the second-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference so far. That continued on Thursday as Chris Brady made six saves to keep a clean sheet. Although marquee summer addition Robert Lewandowski had an unsuccessful outing, the Fire managed to find goals from unlikely sources as fullbacks Jonathan Dean and Andrew Gutman were on the scoresheet.
Santos Laguna have had a poor start to the new season, losing their first three matches in league play. They’ve had a difficult time finding goals. Santos haven’t scored since their Liga MX opener against Monterrey. Thursday’s loss to NYCFC was a similar story. Santos outshot the Pigeons but once again were shut out thanks to a fantastic performance from USMNT starting goalkeeper Matt Freese. It doesn’t get any easier against Chicago Fire and it will be an uphill battle for Santos to find the net.
Nashville SC vs. Atlético San Luis
The current Supporters’ Shield leaders suffered a surprising loss in their Leagues Cup opener. A rotated Nashville side struggled to create chances and ultimately fell 1-0 to Club León. BJ Callaghan’s club quite frankly haven’t been the same since the World Cup break. Narrow 1-0 victories over bottom feeders Atlanta and Montréal were followed up by a loss to Orlando and a draw with DC before that defeat to León. They now have two more matches against Liga MX opposition to find some form before MLS play resumes.
Atlético San Luis also kicked off Leagues Cup with a loss, but theirs was a lot more exciting. They got off to the perfect start as David Rodríguez opened the scoring in the fourth minute, but it was all downhill from there. A first half onslaught from Lionel Messi and Inter Miami saw San Luis down 4-1 at halftime. They managed to pull one back through Rafa Llorente, but it was nowhere near enough. The attack hasn’t been a problem for San Luis, but they’ll need a much better showing from the back line if they want to get a result against Nashville.
Match Predictions
Philadelphia Union 2-1 Necaxa
Chicago Fire 3-0 Santos Laguna
Nashville SC 1-0 Atlético San Luis
