After a first night of games that saw Liga MX clubs come out on top in five of the six games, MLS teams came out on top in four of the six matchups on Wednesday. Rodrigo De Paul was out there for the full 90' in his Inter Miami debut, but it was his friend Lionel Messi who stole the show with assists on both of their goals.
The Timbers scored in the first minute and didn't look back in a 4-0 rout of Atlético San Luis. Portland now sits atop the MLS side of the standings, and behind them is Minnesota United who got their own impressive win over Querétaro.
It's not Leagues Cup without a couple penalty shootouts to spice things up, tonight we got Pumas edging out Orlando City and Real Salt Lake holding off América thanks to a stellar showing from goalkeeper Rafael Cabral. The only other Liga MX on the night came from Necaxa, who handled Atlanta United in front of 30,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
INTER MIAMI 2, ATLAS 1
It was not easy, but Inter Miami CF got the 2-1 win at home to start the Leagues Cup against a very tough Atlas FC team. A late VAR decision proved to be needed to secure the important three points.
Rodrigo De Paul made his debut for Inter Miami, but it was his old friend Messi who earned "Man of the Match" honors thanks to his two assists, including the game winner.
After the game, Messi praised their opponent and Leagues Cup in the process: “We did a great job and it was a nice test for us too against a tough Mexican team. The format (of the tournament) has changed and it's something to enjoy and a nice competitive experience.”
NECAXA 3, ATLANTA UNITED 1
Atlanta United opened its Leagues Cup campaign with a 3-1 loss to Club Necaxa on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, continuing a trend of early losses for MLS clubs in the tournament.
In front of an announced crowd of 30,847, the home side looked poised to earn its first regulation Leagues Cup win, but defensive errors and missed opportunities proved costly.
Necaxa matched Atlanta’s intensity, going toe to toe throughout the first half and then pulled away in the second half thanks to a brace from substitute, Tomás Badaloni.
MINNESOTA 4, QUERÉTARO 1
Just like that, the Loons are top of the table!
Minnesota United wasted no time hammering visiting Querétaro 4-1 in their Leagues Cup opener at Allianz Field on Wednesday night to take one of the top spots in the early MLS Phase One standings.
With an early 2-0 lead, the pace of play slowed as the game progressed with MNUFC comfortable in their lead. However, substitutes Anthony Markanich and Tani Oluwaseyi slammed that door shut with two more MNUFC goals to ensure the Loons got off to a perfect start in this season’s Leagues Cup campaign.
REAL SALT LAKE 2 (3), CLUB AMÉRICA 1 (1)
Another Leagues Cup thriller—quickly becoming a tournament trademark—as Real Salt Lake edged Club América in penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw in regulation, securing the valuable points in front of a passionate crowd.
Emotions ran high throughout the game, with both teams creating plenty of chances, but all the goals came in the first half after Club América generated several dangerous opportunities. Isaías Violante fired a powerful shot, only to be denied by goalkeeper Rafael Cabral—a pattern that would repeat itself throughout the match.
In the shootout, Pablo Ruiz scored to put Real Salt Lake ahead, but once again Rafael Cabral came up big—this time saving Henry Martín’s attempt. Cabral would save two more shots, including stopping José Raúl Zúñiga’s attempt to seal the win and the extra point.
PORTLAND TIMBERS 4, ATLÉTICO SAN LUIS 0
The Portland Timbers led from the opening minute and cruised to a dominant 4-0 victory over Atlético de San Luis on Wednesday night at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon—a statement win on a night when MLS reclaimed momentum from Liga MX after a strong start to the tournament by the Mexican clubs.
David Da Costa hit a stunner off the volley 35 seconds into the match to open the scoring and send the home fans into jubilation. 77 minutes later, Felipe Mora struck with power off the crossbar to put the exclamation point on the Timbers win.
PUMAS UNAM 1 (4), ORLANDO CITY 1 (3)
Pumas UNAM came from behind to walk aways with 2 points against Orlando City. Another big win for the Liga MX clubs after Pumas proved more precise in the penalty shootout. One of the "Grandes" from Liga MX were led by another standout performance by Keylor Navas behind the net.
Los Felinos had to push hard against the purple lions to get their equalizer in the second half and force penalties. The Keylor factor showed itself in that second half, but if Keylor wasn't the player of the match, then it must be Coco Carrasquilla. He would score the equalizer with an amazing dribble and then go on to hit the clinching goal in the shootout.
