Galaxy's Quarterfinal Quest: Some Respect, A Chance To Win Leagues Cup

Forbes

3 hours ago

It's been quite a summer for international soccer in the United States.
Let's see.
There was the FIFA Club World Cup for some of the top club sides on the planet, and the Concacaf Gold Cup for the leading teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
And currently, we have the Leagues Cup.
Hold on, you might say, what in the world is the Leagues Cup?
Well, it is a relatively new competition manufactured by Major League Soccer and Liga MX to determine the best team in a tournament between each league.
Several skeptics felt that another summer tourney that extended the MLS schedule that already has been congested with the likes of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (which has been alive and kicking since 1913) and the Concacaf Champions Cup, was not needed.
But in 2019 MLS and Liga MX decided to create Leagues Cup. Only four years competed that year as the tournament has been expanded over the years. The cup had some observers and critics scratching their heads because MLS teams would wind up playing each other in some instances during the group stage, not against its Mexican counterparts.
A new year, a near format
This year, the powers that be mercifully decided to change the format, for the better. Now, the first round, aka Phase One, pitted 18 MLS teams that qualified for last year's playoffs against its 18 Mexican counterparts. They played three games apiece in that group stage, at MLS stadiums. Teams were rewarded three points for a win. In draws, the teams shared two points, and a third went to the winner of shootout after 90 minutes.
Unlike the MLS Cup Playoffs, in which 60 percent of its teams qualify, only four teams from each league reached the quarterfinals.
Several teams with winning records did not reach the knockout.
Man, talk about an unforgiving competition.
Leagues Cup has given the defending MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy, some sort of a lifeline this season. The Galaxy stumbled to an awful start, 0-9-3, which was punctuated by an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, the team it had defeated in the 2024 MLS Cup.
LA, however, went against the grain in the group phase of Leagues Cup, finishing third with a 2-0-1 record. The MLS side started with a 5-2 thumping of Tijuana, played Cruz Azul to a 1-1 tie before blanking Santos Laguna, 4-0, in its final first-round encounter. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Galaxy played all three of those games at home at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
'This tournament is an opportunity. We're at home and we had done enough work in the first two games to put ourselves in a position to control our own destiny," head coach Greg Vanney said.
'I think as we've navigated this tournament, it's shown what we knew that we had some of this capability inside of our group. It was just about putting it all together and getting guys connected. I think it's showing that we have a good team and we're tough to play against, and that's been great.'
The Galaxy (3-16-7, 16 points), which is in 15th and last place in the MLS Western Conference, 14 points out of ninth place, the last playoff berth. So, outside of a miracle finish, the postseason is a long, long, long shot.
The bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow is a nice prize for the three top teams - a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Imagine if LA could pull that off - finishing among the league's worst but getting an opportunity to battle Concacaf's best next year.
Vanney's side will have another home game, this time against Pachuca on Wednesday, Aug. 20. If his team gets through that, the Galaxy will be a win away from pulling off that soccer rarity.
And if there is one intriguing factor to the Leagues Cup, it's that the third-place game will actually mean something in a competition, as the top three teams in the competition will qualify for the 2026 Champions Cup. In many competitions in the past, the third-place match was considered a consolation contest.
Quarterfinal schedule
All four games pits MLS teams against Liga MX sides. So, there could be an all Liga MX semifinals or final, or ditto for MLS.
8 p.m. ET: Inter Miami CF vs Club Tigres
Chase Stadium - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who came back from a leg injury to score the winning goal off the bench for Inter Miami CF in its 3-1 home win over the Galaxy on Saturday, will be a key. Will he start or be in a reserve role?
"He scored an amazing goal, made a huge assist," said former MLS star Giovanni Savarese during a Tuesday Zoom press conference promoting the quarterfinals. "We hope that he keeps on getting better to compete well this Wednesday. I just think that this is going to be a great match."
Savarese noted that Inter Miami will be keen to avenge last year's 2-1 loss to Tigres in this competition.
"Knowing that group of players, I know they have that in their mind as well," he said. "And a lot of the players on Tigres are friends with the players on inter Miami. So, this is going to be a huge match, a great competition. This is going to be great for all of us, because two of the best teams in both leagues are part of this. Inter Miami will be, for me, the one that will be pushing forward."
But don't discount Tigres. It is a formidable side, led by Ángel Correa, the competition's joint goal-scoring lead (four goals).
9 p.m. ET: Toluca FC vs Orlando City SC
Dignity Health Sports Park – Carson, Wash.
This just might be the most balanced match-up in the quarters. They are far from the "sexiest" sides in their leagues or competition but have found a way to get the job done. Toluca has captured the Liga MX Clausura and Campeon de Campeones championship this year.
More recently, Toluca has finished atop the 18 Liga MX teams in the tournament with a 2-0-1 record, finding the next six times and conceding on four occasions. In the league, the team is in fifth place with a 3-1-1 record.
Both teams boast some of the most reliable attacking players of the competition. Orlando City has midfielder-forward Martin Ojeda who leads everyone in the tournament with six goal contributions (three goals, three assists).
Toluca has Paulinho, who is tied for the Golden Ball lead (four goals) and a spectacular bicycle kick, and Alexis Vegas.
The Lions took fourth place among MLS squads in its table with a 2-0-1 mark.
11 p.m. ET: Seattle Sounders FC vs Club Puebla
Lumen Field – Seattle, Wash.
The Sounders were the only team that finished Phase One (yes, that's what it is called) unblemished with a 3-0-0 record. They outscored their Mexican foes, 11-2, including a record 7-0 demolition of reigning Concacaf Champions Cup winners Cruz Azul on July 31.
They also are the only MLS side to win a Concacaf club crown in its modern version, capturing the CC League in 2022. A winner of two MLS Cup titles (2016, 2029), Seattle has a history of playing well and even punching above its weight under head coach Schmetzer, the team of all MLS coaches (10th season). The Sounders (11-7-8, 41 points) are in fourth place in the MLS Western Conference.
In what is a rare event, Puebla will have a new man in charge in the quarterfinals. Pablo Guede was axed after his team lost its fourth loss in five Liga MX Apertura matches, a 2-0 defeat to Atletico San Luis. Martin Bravo, coach of the Puebla Under-21 squad, was named interim head coach. Guede became the second Mexican head coach on the sidelines after Gonzalo Pineda resigned from Atlas earlier this month.
"It is tough for Puebla," former Mexican international Pavel Pardo, who played with the Chicago Fire (2021-22) in MLS. "They got to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, and now they play on the weekend they lost, and it was surprise for everybody. ... They have an opportunity for Puebla to grind in this tournament."
Added Savarese: "They have everything in their side and nothing to lose."
11:45 p.m. ET: LA Galaxy vs Club Pachuca
Dignity Health Sports Park – Carson, Calif.
In a contrast of fortunes, Pachuca, which is tied for the Liga MX Apertura lead (4-1-0, 12), plays the MLS last-place Galaxy. Pachuca, the 2024 CCC victors, are considered the favorites entering the match.
"I think Pachuca is doing a really good job, not only in Leagues Cup, but in Liga MX. On the weekend they lost at home against Tijuana. But I think the performance of Pachuca right now with [head coach] Jaime Lozano is good. The players are doing really good. Alexei Domínguez is a young player (20 years old), is very interesting. So, we'll see. But it's going to be a tough game."
Buried at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference, the Galaxy can make a lost league season into a Leagues Cup winner by securing the tournament title or even finishing in third place. Remember, the top three teams will qualify for the 2026 CCC.
Savarese, who directed the Portland Timbers to a pair of MLS Cup finals (2018, 2021), felt LA still could salvage a nightmare regular season.
"You have to make sure that everybody believes, everybody's together, everybody's ready to play," he said. "Whatever happened in the other competition, MLS Cup, and U.S. Open Cup, the main focus is Leagues Cup, because at the end of the day, if you win Leagues Cup, at least, you can say that this year wasn't a wasted year, that you can recoup something. That's the only way that you can manage a team, to be able to stay ... in the right direction, to be able to compete."
You would think the Galaxy would have a home-field advantage since the match will be played at Dignity Health Sports Park. But we need to remember LA has won but thrice in a dozen contests in its own venue (3-7-2).
The semifinals are set for Aug. 26-27, and the final for Aug. 31.
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