The group stage of the Leagues Cup is practically over and the knockout games are starting to take shape, but there are still some final issues to be resolved.
Let’s take a look at what happened at the tournament on Monday night.
What happened
August 5, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Dynamo FC forward Ezequiel Ponce (10) celebrates scoring a first-half goal against Real Salt Lake at Shell Enegry Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
The tone was set early in the evening’s game when four goals from four different FC Cincinnati substitutes stunned NYCFC in the final 15 minutes of the TQL clash, seeing Pat Noonan’s side win the group in style.
Meanwhile, Houston made a real statement in their group with Atlas and Real Salt Lake, defeating the Salt Lake City team 3-0 to win the group on goal difference and send their tonight’s opponents out of the competition on progress.
Toluca stormed into Kansas City and capped off their impressive West Group 4 showing with a win at Children’s Mercy Park, although SKC will join them in the round of 16.
Ultimately, a dramatic late equalizer by the Rapids sent Colorado and León to penalties after a climactic delay earlier in the evening. Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen stood out for his team in the penalty shootout, sending his team past in dramatic fashion.
Goal of the night
It may have been a defeat, but you simply can’t look away from Stephen Afrifa’s stunner in first-half stoppage time.
Player of the night
When you only have 25 minutes to step in and make an impact in a game, your team is 2-0 down and you lead a four-goal scoring run in 10 minutes to pull off an unlikely comeback, that’s enough to win the player of the night.
Statistics of the night
A bad omen…
What this means
With the group stage complete, barring one more game tomorrow night, the knockout stages are on our doorstep. However, we have to continue to look back at the disparity between the MLS and Liga MX teams in the tournament so far. Following Monday’s results, all but four of the 15 groups were topped by an MLS club.
What comes next
The group stage will finally come to an end on Tuesday night when New England takes on Nashville. The Tennessee team will need a result to reach the round of 16.
Iimage: © Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
