CHESTER, Pa.—On Thursday evening, the Philadelphia Union will enter Leagues Cup for the third time in the tournament’s four-year history when they face Liga MX side Cruz Azul at 8 p.m. at Subaru Park.
While interim head coach Ryan Richter was part of the coaching staff during the Union’s previous two appearances, he knows the tournament provides a valuable measuring stick for both the squad and the staff moving forward.
“In preparing for these games, it’s really high quality opponents, you know, especially in our first game against Cruz Azul, we have a really tough opponent,” Richter said about Thursday’s match. “But one that we want to measure ourselves against, and I think it’s a great opportunity for us to see exactly where we’re at with one of the best teams in Concacaf.”
Historically, the Philadelphia Union have made deep runs in both of their previous Leagues Cup appearances.
In 2023, they reached the semifinals before falling to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at Subaru Park in a match that, for many, showed the Union simply let the moment become too big. The club rebounded by defeating a heavily rotated CF Monterrey side in the third-place match, earning a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup the following season.
In 2024, following a slow start to the MLS season, Philadelphia found their rhythm in the tournament, once again advancing to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Columbus Crew. The Union then fell to the Colorado Rapids in the third-place match, missing out on a Champions Cup berth. However, former Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo claimed the tournament’s Golden Boot after scoring seven goals during the Union’s run.
Having played in both of the Union’s previous Leagues Cup campaigns, left back Kai Wagner knows what makes the tournament special and the opportunity it presents for the club.
“It will be a lot of new experience for like a lot of players who didn’t face like these Mexican teams.” he said. “But, I can just say like it’s a lot of fun to play against teams. It’s good to face other teams too. And, we definitely will enjoy that.”
Since the Union’s 2024 appearance, the tournament format has changed. No longer does every MLS club participate, similar to the U.S. Open Cup. Instead, the top 18 clubs from Major League Soccer based on the previous season’s standings qualify alongside 18 Liga MX clubs.
MLS clubs are ranked according to the final 2025 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings, while Liga MX clubs are ranked based on cumulative performance across the 2025 Apertura and Clausura tournaments, according to the Leagues Cup website.
During Phase One, clubs are divided into Eastern and Western regions, each consisting of 18 teams. Within each region, clubs are sorted into three tiers based on their Leagues Cup rankings. MLS and Liga MX clubs compete in separate tables during Phase One. Teams earn three points for a win, two points for a penalty shootout win, one point for a shootout loss and none for a regulation loss. Tiebreakers are determined by goal differential.
Only Tigres and Puebla advanced to the knockout stage last year after losing a match during Phase One.
Following Phase One, the top four clubs from both MLS and Liga MX advance to the knockout stage, with third place, second place and the Leagues Cup champion all earning berths in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Here is a breakdown of Philadelphia’s three Phase One matches, all of which will be hosted at Subaru Park.
Cruz Azul
Thursday, Aug. 6 | 8 p.m.
Current record: 2-0-1 (6th in the Apertura standings)
Manager Joel Huiqui, who replaced Nicolás Larcamón in April on an interim basis, worked his way through the Cruz Azul coaching ranks. After leading the club to the Liga MX title in May, Huiqui was named the full-time manager.
The talent is there for the Liga MX side as well, with players such as Lucas Romero, Jeremy Márquez and Gabriel Fernández providing scoring power early in the season. Add midfielders Erik Lira, Carlos Rodríguez and José Paradela, and the quality throughout the squad becomes apparent.
“You see that we have to be able to adjust to what the game brings because you’ll see a different shape,” Richter said. “One that’s tough for us to predict going into the match, but even throughout the game that they might change shape or the way they’re building up and the way they’re defending.”
“For us that we’re able to be flexible and able to adapt to what we see in the game. So we try to give them the picture, but that’s up to Kai and the guys also in some moments that they have to recognize the situation and organize that piece themselves on the field. But like I said, that’s something that you don’t see so much every week in MLS, is this type of fluidity and this type of changes, and one that I’m excited uh that see how we adapt to.”
This won’t be the first Leagues Cup meeting between the two clubs. On Aug. 4, 2024, they played to a 1-1 draw in the group stage. Daniel Gazdag’s 88th-minute goal forced a penalty shootout to determine the extra point, with Cruz Azul prevailing 5-3.
Necaxa
Sunday, Aug. 9 | 7:30 p.m.
Current record: 2-0-1 (8th in the Apertura standings)
Many Philadelphia Union fans will likely have Sunday’s matchup circled with the return of former striker Julián Carranza, who is set to make his first appearance at Subaru Park since his transfer to Feyenoord in July 2024.
Carranza has enjoyed a hot start to the Apertura season, scoring three goals and adding one assist through Necaxa’s first three matches. He will likely be eager to score against his former club. Since joining Necaxa in January, Carranza has scored six goals.
After finishing 15th in the Clausura, manager Martín Varini has guided his club to a strong start with victories over Monterrey and Atlante, leaving Necaxa in eighth place.
While both Wagner and Richter said they were excited to see Carranza return when asked during Thursday’s press conference, they emphasized that their focus remains on the task at hand.
Santos Laguna
Thursday, Aug. 13 | 7 p.m.
Current record: 0-0-3 (17th in the Apertura standings)
After finishing last in the Clausura with just three wins, the Apertura has gotten off to a bumpy start for manager Renato Paiva’s squad. Following a 3-2 loss to Monterrey to open the season, Santos has failed to score in its next two matches against Atlas and Club América.
Lucas Di Yorio and Eduardo Aguirre are the club’s only goal scorers so far this season. Look for captain Carlos Acevedo, a member of Mexico’s 2026 World Cup squad, to provide leadership for Santos.
Even with the Leagues Cup underway, the Union will play eight matches between Phase One and the MLS regular season. Richter acknowledged the squad will need to rotate, not only during Leagues Cup depending on how Thursday’s match unfolds, but throughout the month.
Still, he remains confident in the depth of the squad.
“I’m totally confident in the players that we have in the squad and I know there’s a number of positions that we can rotate and we don’t drop our level at all so I’m excited to see the opportunities that present themselves for guys and what they can earn and the position that they can earn with the minutes that come from a congested schedule like this.”
Coming off three straight wins, it will be interesting to see whether the Philadelphia Union can make another deep run in this year’s Leagues Cup.
In other news, Kai Wagner, Neil Pierre and Milan Iloski were named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 19 following the Union’s 3-2 comeback victory over Atlanta United.
It marks the second time Wagner has been named to the Team of the Matchday since his return from Birmingham City. For Pierre, who has two goals in three matches, it is his first Team of the Matchday selection.
It also marks the third consecutive week that a Philadelphia Union player has been named to the Team of the Matchday, with Wagner and Frankie Westfield earning the honor over the previous two weeks.
As for Iloski, he has now surpassed Daniel Gazdag’s club record by scoring in six consecutive matches. During that stretch, he has scored eight goals and now has 10 on the season, leaving him just three behind the current Golden Boot leaders.
Can the Philadelphia Union carry that momentum through Leagues Cup and make another deep run? Only time will tell.
Main article photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union.
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