The Leagues Cup round of 32 took place this week with 11 Liga MX sides involved. América entered the competition to take on Atlas whilst it was an all-Mexican affair in Austin as Tigres and Pachuca fought it out for a spot in the next round.
Wednesday 7th August 2024
Vancouver 0 vs 2 Pumas
Pumas kickstarted the knockout rounds be securing their place into the round of 16. Becoming the first Liga MX side to qualify, they comfortably beat the Canadian with two goals either side of the half time whistle. César Huerta opened the scoring, finishing a quick move to fire home from close range as Jorge Ruvalcaba continued his goal scoring form to seal the win.
Thursday 8th August 2024
San Jose Earthquakes 5 vs 0 Necaxa
Tigres 1 vs 0 Pachuca
Unable to follow on from Pumas' win the day before, Necaxa had an evening to forget. Conceding four goals in the first 40 minutes, things went from bad to worse when Alan Montes was given a straight red card for the side from Aguascalientes. The game ended with San Jose adding a fifth with no answer, ending Necaxa's run in the competition. They now have a two-week wait until the return of the Liga MX, where they will face Juaréz.
The first of two all-Liga MX ties was between Tigres and Pachuca which was decided after the hour mark where Marcelo Flores was waiting at the back post to put the Monterrey side ahead. Despite the best efforts to get back into the game, Pachuca had no answer and were unable to take the game to a penalty shootout.
Friday 9th August 2024
Club América 2 vs 1 Atlas
DC United 1 vs 2 Mazatlán
FC Cincinnati 1 (6) vs (5) 1 Santos Laguna
Juárez 2 vs 3 Colorado Rapids
Orlando FC 1 (4) vs (5) 1 Cruz Azul
Toluca 2 (5) vs (4) 2 Houston Dynamos
América's first involvement in the Leagues Cup took place in San Diego where they faced Atlas. New signing Érick Sánchez opened his scoring account for the club by netting in the 20th minute. However, the reigning Clausura champions were pegged back on the hour mark as Jose Lozano gave the Guadalajara side an equaliser. As the game drew to an end, the decisive moment came in the 73rd minute as Henry Martin scored his fifth goal since the start of the season to ensure that Las Águilas would be in the next round.
Mazatlán also added their name to the list of clubs into the round of 16. Edgar Barcenas and brian Rubio put the Liga MX side 2-0 up but former Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich gave DC a lifeline. In the end, the goal was nothing more than a consolation as Mazatlán, who are looking for the first win in the league, made it two wins from their last two in the Leagues Cup.
Santos Laguna suffered a penalty shootout heartbreak to crash out of the competition. Two goals in the first 11 minutes was far from what anybody expected but Santos led the game in the fifth minute through Anthony Lozano before Luca Orellano responded. Cincinnati missed a penalty before halftime but the rest of the game was limited to few chances. In the shootout, the first 12 takers scored before Aldo Lopez failed to execute his penalty for the Mexican club.
Juaréz were the next Liga MX side to be on the chopping block after a narrow defeat to Colorado. Despite scoring first, Mauricio Barbieri's side was shocked going into the break with the Rapids overturning the scoreline. Calvin Harris gave the MLS side a two goal lead on the hour-mark but Avilés Hurtado gave Juaréz the belief to challenge for an equaliser. Unable to punish Colorado once more, they crashed out of the competition.
One penalty shootout heartbreak for Santos was an unknown narrative for penalty shootout winner Cruz Azul. A goalless tie in Orlando meant that the game was decided from the spot. Both teams' first takers (Robin Jansson & Ignacio Rivero) failed to convert their shots before the next four for both clubs scored theirs. The battle concluded when Dagur Dan Þórhallsson failed to score his penalty, allowing Uriel Antuna to score the winning spot kick for Los Azules.
The final game ended in shootout heroics for Toluca, who sealed their passage into the next round. Jesus Angulo started proceedings by continuing to score in every game at the Leagues Cup before former Benfica playmaker Ezequiel Ponce levelled the game and Micael turned things around. Heading out of the tournament, Toluca scored a 96th-minute equaliser through Edgar Lopez. In the shootout, Lawrence Ennali missed his effort as Los Diablos Rojos netted all five of their spot kicks.
Which team impressed you the most in the round of 32?