By Tony Álvarez
The Liga MX teams dominated the tournament´s quarterfinals and now look to reach their first ever championship stage but they are coming off very different pathways.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- 1st time facing off in Leagues Cup
- Record at Leagues Cup: Club América (9-5), Monterrey (9-7)
LAST FIVE GAMES
- Club América:
- 4 Wins, 0 Draws, 1 Loss
- Monterrey:
- 3 Wins, 0 Draws, 2 Loss
MAIN STORYLINES
- Club América defeated Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
- Monterrey is coming off a win vs Chicago Fire in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
- Club América is in great form coming off solid Leagues Cup and Liga MX performances, they only have one loss since the start of the Apertura tournament.
- Monterrey has looked solid in Leagues Cup but have lost their last two Liga MX games by a combined score of 5-1.
- This will be the first time these teams meet in Leagues Cup competition.
KEY FACTORS
- Club América:
- Have scored nine goals in current Leagues Cup edition.
- Brian Rodríguez has scored in each of the team´s last two matches.
- Solid defense and goalkeeping only allowing two goals in last five games.
- Monterrey:
- Inconsistency over their Leagues Cup and Liga MX performances.
- Starting eleven changes and roster stamina to be tested after playing eight games in August.
- Hugo Cuypers has scored three Leagues Cup goals in four matches.
WHAT TO EXCEPT?
The all-Liga MX Leagues Cup Semifinals will wrap up with a highly anticipated matchup between Club América and CF Monterrey, as both teams look to reach the tournament Final for the first time. The match is scheduled for Wednesday at Dignity Health Sports Park at 11:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
Las Águilas enter the matchup red hot, with their high level of performance putting them in contention for silverware across every competition. They began their Leagues Cup campaign by dominating San Diego FC 3-1 in the first tournament match ever played at Estadio Banorte (Estadio Azteca), then repeated that scoreline against Portland Timbers. América closed out Phase One with a 1-1 draw against Austin FC in regulation before dropping the extra point in the penalty shootout.
They followed that up with a convincing performance against Columbus Crew, eliminating the MLS side 2-0 in the Quarterfinals thanks in large part to Brian Rodríguez. The Uruguayan has scored in three of América’s four Leagues Cup matches and enters the Semifinals coming off another notable performance in which he also found the back of the net in Liga MX.
In fact, Club América might be the most consistent team heading into this stage of the tournament. Not only have Las Águilas impressed in Leagues Cup, but they are also the undefeated Liga MX leaders with 16 points through six matches, the product of five wins and one draw.
CF Monterrey, on the other hand, is currently struggling in domestic competition. However, Rayados managed to turn things around early in Leagues Cup, creating an intriguing contrast heading into this matchup.
Monterrey began the tournament with a loss to Orlando City SC but has won three straight since, defeating Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC to qualify for the knockout stage before eliminating Chicago Fire in the Quarterfinals. Interestingly, every Monterrey match in this year’s Leagues Cup has ended 2-1, including its only defeat.
In Liga MX, however, things have been different. After Phase One of Leagues Cup, Monterrey returned to domestic action and dominated FC Juárez 6-1, seemingly carrying its tournament momentum back into league play. But Rayados have since lost two straight Liga MX matches, raising concerns about their inconsistency heading into the Semifinals.
Hugo Cuypers has been one of Monterrey’s most reliable attacking threats. The former MLS star scored in every Leagues Cup Phase One match for Rayados and has also found the back of the net in two of the club’s last three Liga MX matches, making him a threat Club América will need to neutralize.
Two tournament favorites now meet for a place in the Leagues Cup Final, and adding to the intrigue is the familiarity between two clubs that know each other extremely well. They will close out a historic all-Liga MX Semifinal stage with both sides looking to reach the Final for the first time and capture a trophy that has eluded them in the past.
