The round of 16 of the Leagues Cup is behind us, as there are only 16 teams left. Here’s what happened on a packed Friday night at the venue.
What happened
FC Cincinnati forward Corey Baird (11) reacts as FC Cincinnati wins on penalties after regulation in the Leagues Cup match at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday, August 9, 2024. FC Cincinnati defeats Santos Laguna on penalties.
There was non-stop action throughout the tournament on Friday night, and we’ll start in Columbus, where the MLS champions entered the fray with a resounding 4-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City in front of a raucous crowd.
It was a night of penalty shootouts as NYCFC, Cincinnati, Toluca and Cruz Azul booked their tickets to the next round, sending New England, Santos Laguna, Houston and Orlando City on penalties respectively.
After the dramatic opening of the games, things in the West began to take shape as St. Louis City scored two late goals to beat the sizzling Portland Timbers.
Meanwhile, Colorado and Juárez put on a show in Commerce City, with the Rapids winning a five-goal thriller to set up a showdown with Toluca.
Finally, Club América showed why they are the potential tournament favorites with a gutsy victory over Liga MX rivals Atlas. A late goal from Henry Martín, from close range, was enough to guarantee Las Águilas’ qualification.
Goal of the night
There were some surprises in this game, but Claudio Bravo’s sensational strike from the edge of the box will go down as the best of the night, despite being beaten.
Statistics of the night
The seeding of the knockout round leaves a lot to be desired…
Teams that won groups but had to play away are now 0-4 in the Leagues Cup qualifiers.
I’m not one of the certified geniuses who changed the League Cup rules this year, but it sure seems pretty daft to make group stage success meaningless.
-Kevin Morris (@socceralt) August 9, 2024
What does this mean
The bracket is set for the round of 16 with some key clashes to leave you wanting more. Most notably, arguably the two best teams in MLS, Columbus and Miami, will face off in a mouth-watering tie.
What’s next
There are just a few days left until the round of 16, as the eight games will be played between August 12th and 13th to decide who will go to the round of 16.
Image: © Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports
