Leagues Cup Thursday Preview: Reigning Liga MX Champion Cruz Azul Face In-Form Union | OneFootball

Another day of Leagues Cup action means three more matchups between the MLS Eastern Conference and Liga MX. So far the East has shown out, winning all three games on Tuesday. The marquee fixture sees a new look Philadelphia Union side host current Liga MX champion Cruz Azul, but NYCFC and Chicago Fire face intriguing tests of their own.

Match Details

New York City FC vs. Santos Laguna

Kickoff: 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PTSports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New JerseyWatch on Apple TV

Cruz Azul vs. Philadelphia Union

Kickoff: 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PTSubaru Park, Chester, PennsylvaniaWatch on FS1, TUDN, Apple TV

Chicago Fire vs. Necaxa

Kickoff: 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PTSeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IllinoisWatch on Apple TV

Union Finding New Life Under Richter

After a disastrous first half of the season, Philadelphia Union decided to part ways with manager Bradley Carnell just months after he led them to the Supporters’ Shield. Interim coach Ryan Richter has already made that decision look genius. Since his promotion from managing Union II in MLS Next Pro, Richter has guided Philadelphia to three straight victories. Those results have lifted the Union out of the basement in the MLS standings. Now Richter will face his most daunting test yet as the Liga MX champions come to town.

Philadelphia comes into this fixture off the back of one of the most thrilling and unlikely wins in MLS history. They found themselves down 2-0 to Atlanta United with just 20 minutes left to play, in danger of losing all the momentum they gained after the World Cup break. Milan Iloski pulled one back in the 73rd minute, giving the Union hope. Then chaos ensued. Six minutes into stoppage time, Kai Wagner sent in a cross that found the head of 6’7” center back Neil Pierre who was up playing as a striker. The 18 year old watched his header sneak into the bottom left corner and Subaru Park erupted. But it wasn’t done there. Just seconds later, another Wagner cross found club record signing Ezekiel Alladoh. The Ghanaian striker produced a magnificent volley for his first MLS goal, winning it for Philadelphia against all odds.

Can Union Sustain?

Now it’s a question of whether or not the Union’s form will hold up against stronger opposition. They’ve done well to win three in a row, but none of the teams they beat can compare to Cruz Azul. The first 70 minutes of the Atlanta game proved that Philly still has a lot of flaws, flaws that a better team will be able to exploit. It will be interesting to see how much Richter opts to rotate the side like we’ve seen other MLS teams do in this competition. After his late heroics on Saturday, Alladoh could be given a chance to start. Quinn Sullivan is still looking for his first start since returning from injury, this match could be the perfect opportunity.

Cruz Azul Look To Rebound From Rare Loss

Losing isn’t something that Cruz Azul have become accustomed to lately. They came into last Saturday on a 14 game unbeaten run. That was ended by a shocking home loss to Atlante, a club playing in their first Liga MX season since 2014. (Editor’s note: Atlante also upset Vancouver Whitecaps on Tuesday!) It was only the third loss in the last 32 matches for Cruz Azul, a run of form dating back to January 10th. They’ll be determined to respond on Thursday as they travel north of the border to take on the Union.

The two sides have a little bit of history in Leagues Cup. Back in 2024, they were drawn into the same group. Cruz Azul took down Philadelphia Union in penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time. Union star Cavan Sullivan was just 14 years old at the time, fresh off his record-setting MLS debut. They could’ve faced off again in the quarterfinals, but Cruz Azul fell to Mazatlán in the round of 16.

José Paradela will be the key man for La Máquina. The Argentine playmaker is coming off back to back seasons with double digit goals and assists. He was instrumental to Cruz Azul’s success last season and starred in their 3-1 Campeón de Campeones victory over Toluca, scoring a brace and providing an assist. Paradela also scored for the Liga MX All-Stars in their 4-3 loss to the MLS All-Stars a week ago. As a right winger, his battle with Union star left back Kai Wagner will likely determine the outcome of the match.

NYCFC vs. Santos Laguna

The Pigeons have looked great since the World Cup break. They beat Columbus Crew on the road before beating Chicago Fire and drawing Toronto FC at home. Those results vaulted NYCFC up from eighth to fifth in the Eastern Conference. Nicolás Fernández has been at the heart of it all. Usually deployed as a striker, the Argentine has been playing as more of an attacking midfielder since the break and it’s paid dividends. He scored in all three matches and will back himself to find the net again in Leagues Cup.

Santos Laguna’s form has been the opposite. They kicked off the new Liga MX season by going down 3-0 to Monterrey inside 31 minutes, the same Rayados team that they beat 3-0 in the final match of Clausura in April. Santos Laguna battled back to make it 3-2, but their comeback ultimately came up short. That was followed by shutout losses to Atlas and Club América. Leagues Cup offers a chance to build some momentum, but they’ll need strikers Lucas Di Yorio and Eduardo Aguirre to start scoring.

Chicago Fire vs. Necaxa

Gregg Berhalter’s Chicago Fire were in the headlines this summer. Legendary striker Robert Lewandowski made the move to the Windy City after 18 stellar seasons in Europe. That made MLS Golden Boot leader Hugo Cuypers unhappy, so the Belgian completed a transfer to Monterrey. Lewandowski got off the mark in the US with a brace against Charlotte FC last weekend and will no doubt be hungry for more as Mexican opposition come to town.

Necaxa come into Leagues Cup after a wild 3-1 loss to Toluca that saw two Los Rayos players sent off. One of those was Julián Carranza, a name MLS fans might remember from his time with Philadelphia Union. He was the latest example of the new ‘Prestianni Rule’ where players get a straight red card for covering their mouth while speaking to an opponent. Carranza’s suspension will be served in Liga MX, meaning he’s available against the Fire. That’s bad news for Berhalter’s side as the striker has scored in all three games for Necaxa since the new season started.

Match Predictions

Cruz Azul 2(5)-2(4) Philadelphia UnionNew York City FC 2-0 Santos LagunaChicago Fire 1-2 Necaxa