Leagues Cup Matchday 3 Preview: Can Cincinnati, Columbus or Charlotte Clinch? | OneFootball

After a break on Monday, the Leagues Cup returns for the final eighteen Phase One fixtures spaced out over the next three days. And it’s entirely possible that by the final whistle at TQL Stadium, three of the four MLS teams moving on to the knockout round could be decided!

MLS Standings Entering Leagues Cup Matchday 3

As you can see, Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew are in first, third and fifth place respectively in the MLS standings. Austin, Chicago Fire and FC Dallas are second, fourth and sixth – all with two wins (six points) apiece.The top four teams advance. The only factor separating the six teams now is goal differential.  

LAFC (5 points) and Real Salt Lake (4 points) are bubble teams. With big wins and lots of goals in their final match they could sneak into the knockouts, assuming a handful of the top six stumble. 

Technically, only Minnesota and Vancouver have been formally eliminated. Any one of the eight teams sitting on three points could, in theory, win big. If they boost their goal differential there’s a chance that, well, three or four of the six points drop the ball?

But who am I kidding? Realistically, any team on three or fewer points is out.

And, yes, you are going to have to wait until Thursday to know for sure who’s advancing.

Charlotte FC vs. Pachuca

Kickoff: 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT @ Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte NCStreaming on Apple TV+

Seeing Charlotte at the top of the table is a shock. Anyone who’s watched them this season knows they have quality; it’s the consistency that’s often lacking. They’re clearly benefiting from playing at home, avoiding travel and all the little inconveniences that the road brings. But they are also lucky in that they drew mediocre competition.

Pachuca looked lively at the start against FC Cincinnati, with Adrián Alcaraz netting after seven minutes. But after Evander’s equalizer eleven minutes later, the match descended into a rout. Against Columbus in MD2 they fell two goals down in the first half. Oussama Idrissi, their standout player of the tournament, clawed one back in the 72nd minute. But any hopes of riding that momentum were dashed by a 74th minute second yellow card issued to Sergio Barreto.

Charlotte, on the other hand, has dominated both games, scoring five goals and conceding none. Tyger Smalls, a 25 year-old out of England, has grabbed this tournament by the horns. He’s scored twice, contributed an assist and drew a penalty, all from the bench and inside 50 minutes on the pitch. This is not too shabby from a winger who until this competition played a combined 81 minutes total in league. Liel Abada is also in good form, with a goal and assist against Atlas.

Pachuca will relish playing the spoiler role, but whether they’ll be able to conjure enough quality to perform remains to be seen. They are far removed from the team that shocked Pumas in the Liga MX opener 3-0.

Prediction: Charlotte FC 3 – 1 Pachuca

Columbus Crew vs. Pumas UNAM

Kickoff: 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT @ ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Columbus OHStreaming on Apple TV+

If you can think of a more disappointing side than Pumas UNAM, I’d like to hear your argument. Coming into this competition they were riding high off back to back Liga MX wins by a combined scoreline of 7-2. But they got trounced by Charlotte 3-0 in the opener, allowing the hosts to generate a 3.25 xG. Then they were blanked by FC Cincinnati 2-0, squandering a 2.12 xG against a side that just proved more ruthless in finishing. Yes, Pumas are having problems finding the net, but they didn’t perform poorly in Matchday 2. Ultimately, as both sides had nearly identical offensive statistics, it came down to goalkeeping. Costa Rican veteran Keylor Navas just didn’t have the chops.

Contrast that to Columbus Crew. In a teeter-totter season where they’re languishing in 11th place in the East, few folks expected to see them in knockout round contention. True, they won the Hell is Real derby two weeks ago, and battled Inter Miami into a hard-fought draw, but to carry that momentum against Atlas (3-1) and Pachuca (2-1) is impressive. If there’s any concern, it’s that they’ve conceded two goals. Currently, that’s the difference between fourth and fifth place.

Columbus knows that to have a chance to make the cut, they need a win. And a clean sheet. Goals on their side would be useful as well. Scoring has been a distributive effort for the Crew; only Brais Méndez has multiple goals (we’re not going to count Sean Zawadzki’s own goal against Atlas as his second; he also scored in that match). Pumas don’t have much to play for, and I don’t expect a big crowd at the field to cheer them on.

Prediction: Columbus Crew 2 – 0 Pumas UNAM

FC Cincinnati vs. Atlas

Kickoff: 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT @ TQL Stadium, Cincinnati OHBroadcast on FS1; Streaming on Apple TV+

There’s a good reason this match is broadcast on FS1: FC Cincinnati is an offensive powerhouse! They have a joint-high 45 goals scored in MLS; they’ve netted five in Leagues Cup so far as well. While Evander hit what is arguably one of the best strikes of Phase One to open Cincy’s account against Pachuca, Pavel Bucha and Kenji Mboma Dem have since taken over, scoring twice apiece to keep the Blue and Orange humming along.

Atlas is good at possession, with 56% and 63% in their first two games. But they haven’t found the net. Staring elimination square in the eye, the club will need to dig deep if they want to ruin the host side’s chances of moving on. It will be a tall task. Cincinnati excels at converting the low percentage shot; their average xG is 0.89 and they’re scoring 2.5 goals per game.

Prediction: FC Cincinnati 3 – 0 Atlas