Match Preview

JORNADA 2: Rivalidades entre MLS y Liga MX se renuevan, y un nuevo récord se podría establecer

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GUADALAJARA vs. SAN JOSE (Levi’s Stadium)

The prodigal son returns home on Saturday as San Jose Earthquakes homegrown winger Cade Cowell will make his first appearance back in the Bay Area since leaving his childhood club for Chivas de Guadalajara in January.

As a result, the match has been moved from the Earthquakes’ PayPal Park for the higher-capacity Levi’s Stadium — home of the NFL’s San Franciso 49ers — in anticipation of a Leagues Cup record attendance.

HOUSTON vs. ATLAS (Shell Energy Stadium)

The Houston Dynamo FC and Atlas FC will meet for the first time in an official tournament as a club icon returns to the Space City on Saturday at Shell Energy Stadium, in the 2024 Leagues Cup.

Mauro Manotas, who spent some of his growth years in Houston, scored important goals in the Dynamo’s conquest of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Colombian forward amassed 64 goals across all competitions to become the club’s second all-time scorer, behind the legendary Brian Ching.

On Saturday, he could feature against his former club for the first time since departing for LIGA MX at the end of the 2020 season.

NEW ENGLAND vs. MAZATLÁN (Gillette Stadium)

Leagues Cup 2024 East 1 action kicks off Saturday at Gillette Stadium when the New England Revolution and Mazatlán square off in an attempt to end the rough patches both teams are currently in.

NEW YORK vs. TORONTO (Red Bull Arena)

The group stage of the Leagues Cup has a peculiar characteristic that the fans love: It presents rivalries right from the start and this match is no exception. New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC will square off at Red Bull Arena in an East 6 opener on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

These two teams are coming off very important MLS victories. Red Bulls had a solid performance at home against FC Cincinnati this past weekend to move within seven points of them near the top of the table — a 3-1 win with two goals from Lewis Morgan and one from Kyle Duncan.

Toronto FC are coming off an intense game against Canadian rival CF Montréal. Pulling off a victory on the road against a longtime rival could be exactly what The Reds needed heading into the Leagues Cup, as a 38th-minute strike from Richie Laryea proved to be the difference. That was Laryea’s first goal of the season.

PHILADELPHIA vs. CHARLOTTE (Subaru Park)

The Philadelphia Union, who earned a berth in the most recent Concacaf Champions Cup with a third place finish in last year’s Leagues Cup, open the 2024 edition at Subaru Park against Charlotte FC on Saturday night.

PUEBLA vs. MIAMI (Chase Stadium)

The champions are back.

In the 2024 edition of the ever-expanding MLS-LIGA MX rivalry, Club Puebla will make the trip to South Florida for what’s sure to be a battle against the inaugural Leagues Cup champion and current MLS Supporters Shield leaders, Inter Miami CF.

ST. LOUIS vs. DALLAS (CITYPARK)

Saturday’s opening match of West 3 features an all-MLS clash between FC Dallas and St. Louis CITY SC at CITYPARK, where more than 22,000 passionate fans consistently fill the stands.

The start of the tournament represents a fresh beginning for both teams, who each relieved their head coaches during this MLS season. The biggest question is, which team will seize the opportunity presented by Leagues Cup’s tournament play?