The remaining 16 sides in the Leagues Cup went head-to-head over the last few days all vying for a spot in the final eight. Representing Mexico at this late stage were Pumas, Cruz Azul, Mazatlán, Tigres, Toluca and Club América.
Monday 12th August 2024
Seattle Sounders 4 vs 0 Pumas
Monday night was the end of the road for Gustavo Lema and his men after a crushing defeat in Seattle. The sides were separated by a Paul Rothrock opener at the break but the MLS club went on a second half riot as Jordan Morris converted twice in-between an Albert Runsack penalty. To make things worse, defender Lisandro Magallán was given two yellow cards in quick succession, reducing Pumas to 10-men before the end of the game.
Tuesday 16th August 2024
Cruz Azul 2 (1) vs (3) 2 Mazatlán
Tigres 1 vs 2 NYC FC
Toluca 1 vs 2 Colorado Rapids
Club América 4 vs 2 St. Louis City
The first of the Tuesday encounters saw an all-Liga MX affair with at least one participant for the quarter final confirmed. Mazatlán ran out to a 2-0 lead, stunning everyone as they had not won any of the last three meetings. With a mountain to climb, made worse by the fact that Cruz Azul has drawn all of its last five matches. However, a late comeback was on the cards as Uriel Antuna scored with five minutes left on the clock before Willer Ditta scored in added time to take the game to a penalty shootout. Mazatlán managed to score all three of its spot kicks whilst both Azul scorers missed their penalties along with summer signing Georgios Giakoumakis.
Tigres took the lead in their game in New Jersey through Guido Pizarro but could only hold on for two minutes before Maxi Moraléz levelled the scoreline. The game was decided just after the hour mark when Santiago Rodriguez put the New York club ahead. Unable to fight back into the game, it seems that the constant travelling throughout this competition, starting in Miami, then heading to Austin and now New York has caught up with Tigres as their five-game winning record came to an end to crash out of the Leagues Cup.
Toluca faced the same fate but in a rather more dramatic fashion. Los Diablos Rojos played almost the entire second half with a 1-0 deficit as Rafael Navarro put the Rapid ahead. Late into the second half, Paulinho cleverly flicked home a cross from Jesús Gallardo with the game destined for penalties. However, Colorado had one last say in the game as Darren Yapi scored in the 96th minute to knock the in-form Liga MX side out of the competition.
Drama ensued in the final game of the round, with the current quarter final lineup seeming rather bleak for Liga MX sides. Only Mazatlán had qualified but there was one last chance for another Mexican side to join them. América started strong as Brian Rodríguez opened the scoring but two quick-fire goals for St Louis in the second half had André Jardine's side heading home. Ten minutes before the end, América turned up the heat. Diego Valdés levelled the scoreline at 2-2 before Rodriguez converted a spot kick in the 86th minute to once again turn the tide. Sealing the win, Rodrigo Aguirre countered as St Louis had everyone, including the goalkeeper attacking from a corner. Able to send the ball in the opposite direction, Aguirre chased and was able to slot into an empty net.
The results mean that América will face the Colorado Rapids, aiming to avenge the loss of Toluca. As for Mazatlán, their penalty shootout win against Cruz Azul means that they will take on the Philadelphia Union for a place in the semi final.
Can either of these Liga MX sides go further and win the Leagues Cup? Let us know your thoughts.