By Tony Álvarez
Mazatlán FC has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the Leagues Cup so far, and they’ll look to continue their impressive form with another win to stay in the upper half of the standings and secure a spot in the Knockout Stage. Their final Phase One matchup comes this Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET against a winless San Diego FC side at Snapdragon Stadium, live on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
HEAD TO HEAD
- 1st meeting all-time
- Record at Leagues Cup: Mazatlán (7-3), San Diego (0-2)
LAST FIVE GAMES
- Mazatlán
- 3 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss
- Looking for 3rd straight Leagues Cup win
- San Diego FC
- 1 Win, 1 Draw, 3 Losses
- Winless in their first two Leagues Cup games
MAIN STORYLINES
- Mazatlán FC looking to advance to the Leagues Cup knockout stages for the third straight year.
- Mazatlán FC has won five of their last six Leagues Cup matchups dating back to last year.
- Fábio Gomes has scored in each of the two Leagues Cup games. He recently arrived from the Bolivian league.
- San Diego FC is still looking for their first Leagues Cup win.
- San Diego FC has allowed 5 goals in their two Leagues Cup matches; had only given up two goals in their previous four MLS games.
KEY FACTORS
- Mazatlán
- Fábio Gomes has made a great first impression with Mazatlán fans, he's been their operator on offense.
- They have been playing really sharp defense, only allowed 1 goal this tournament and 3 in their last 5 games overall.
- San Diego FC
- With club being eliminated from Knockout Stage contention, will we see some lineup changes.?
- Anders Dreyer is eligible to return after being suspended for their last game, and he's badly needed as the clubs leading scorer.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Though unexpected by many, Los Cañoneros have become one of the most consistent Liga MX teams in Leagues Cup play. In every edition they’ve entered, they’ve managed to advance past the opening phase—and they’re on the verge of doing it again.
Mazatlán’s defense has been key, conceding just one goal through their first two matches. Up front, Fábio Gomes continues to deliver, scoring in back-to-back games against LAFC and Houston Dynamo. But it’s been a complete team effort so far—something they’ll need to maintain to finish the job.
For San Diego FC, the story has been quite different. While the MLS expansion team has shown flashes of quality, a combination of inexperience, roster limitations due to injuries, and a demanding schedule has made their Leagues Cup debut a challenge—particularly against Liga MX opponents.
Still, SDFC remains competitive. They currently sit atop the MLS Western Conference and will look to spoil Mazatlán’s knockout hopes by earning their first-ever Leagues Cup victory in their inaugural appearance.
Anders Dreyer is eligible to return after serving a one-match suspension following a red card in the opener against Tigres. While Hirving Lozano’s availability remains uncertain, he continues to lead by example. Like the rest of the organization, he’ll be eager to end the tournament on a high note and build momentum for the final stretch of the MLS season.
