Leagues Cup begins tonight
Five games kick off Leagues Cup 2024 tonight. Check out the full schedule here.
Inter Miami acquire River Plate center back Martínez
Inter Miami CF have acquired center back David Martínez on loan from Argentine powerhouse River Plate. The Paraguayan international defender's deal is through July 2025 and contains a purchase option. Martínez, 26, gives Miami a potential backline leader after Nicolás Freire suffered a torn ACL in May. He joins Tomás Avilés and Sergii Kryvtsov as center backs on their star-studded roster. Martinez has played 118 professional matches in stints with River Plate and Defensa y Justicia. He has won seven club titles.
FC Cincinnati acquire defender Awaziem from Boavista
FC Cincinnati have secured much-needed help at center back, announcing Thursday they've acquired Chidozie Awaziem from Portuguese top-flight side Boavista. The Nigerian international defender is under contract through 2025 with options for 2026 and 2027.
You’re about to be overwhelmed. There’s so much soccer coming at you over the next few weeks that it can be hard to keep track of it all. That’s where we come in to provide service journalism. We’ll treat Leagues Cup matchdays like any other matchday at The Daily Kickoff and make sure you have a mini-Watchgridometer and The Recap ready to go before and after. You’re welcome.
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Minnesota United FC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Friday, 10:00 pm ET
Watchability Score: 37/50
There’s a basic question facing both of these teams: Are you going to get your life together?
The answer lately has been trending towards “yes.” But there’s still a ways to go before we can start trusting either team again. The Sounders had a nice run recently but it came to a screeching halt against LAFC last Saturday. It’s not a great sign that once they faced a team with some quality they came up well short. They’re definitely putting together more consistent results as of late, though. That partly comes down to the fact that they’re actually a solid team when they’re not getting red cards.
Meanwhile, the Loons are still recovering from a June straight out of their worst nightmares. They were one of the worst teams in the league for about a month and a half during Copa América. With Tani Oluwaseyi and Dayne St. Clair back, things are already trending upward. Kind of. We can technically call a win over San Jose trending upward, right? It’s definitely better than what they were doing. That 2-0 win last Saturday kept the Loons from making it 10 games without a win.
Pumas UNAM vs. Austin FC
WATCH: Apple TV - Free; FS1, UniMás | Friday, 9:00 pm ET
Watchability Score: 33/50
It would be very Austin to go up against a Pumas side that's won three of their first four in Liga MX and inexplicably come out with a win, just because. Odds are that doesn’t happen. We all know Austin have a habit of ignoring that kind of prognostication though. Doubt feeds the big green tree.
LAFC vs. Club Tijuana
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Friday, 11:00 pm ET
Watchability Score: 29/50
Tijuana aren’t really a powerhouse in Liga MX, but it will still be interesting to see LAFC take on a brand new opponent and see what kind of tone the Black & Gold set for the rest of this tournament. Like last year, they’re a favorite among the MLS teams with an actual shot at winning this thing. But they’ve come up short in multiple finals in the last year and a half. They should have a chip on their shoulder heading into this tournament. And if they channel that the right way then Tijuana should be in trouble.
Orlando City SC vs. CF Montréal
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Friday, 8:00 pm ET
Watchability Score: 28/50
Orlando have somewhat quietly been sneaking their way back up the Eastern Conference standings over the last few weeks. It is extremely Oscar Pareja of them to mess around for the first half of the season until they figure it out midway through. The latest adjustment - shifting Martín Ojeda to a central attacking position - has been the final tweak they needed to get it together. They’re entering this one with four wins and a draw in their last five games. Calling them a dark horse contender is probably a step too far, but they could definitely do some damage in this tournament.
For Montréal, this tournament is about finally getting to play with their full squad. It feels like we haven’t seen a healthy/available Montréal side since their opening road trip at the start of the season. We’re close to seeing the full product now. They can treat this tournament as a way to get better before they need to push for a playoff spot when MLS play returns. It wouldn’t be a shock to see them get above the line before all is said and done… if they can keep the full roster together for more than a couple of games.
Atlanta United vs. D.C. United
WATCH: Apple TV - Free | Friday, 8:00 pm ET
Watchability Score: 25/50
A battle between the two unluckiest teams in the Eastern Conference. You have to admire the degree to which both Uniteds have rejected their underlying numbers this season. Truly brave stuff.
That rejection has led to pretty significant renovations for Atlanta United. They’re waiting for a couple of new DPs to arrive. That’s the big focus for August. Not Leagues Cup.
For D.C., this is a winnable group. Winning the group wouldn’t save their season or anything, but it would at least be a burst of positivity in what’s been a frustrating season.
San Diego sign defender McNair: San Diego FC have signed a fifth player ahead of their 2025 MLS debut, announcing Northern Ireland international defender Patrick “Paddy” McNair's arrival on Thursday. McNair is under contract through the 2027 MLS season. He will be loaned to EFL Championship side West Bromwich Albion for the remainder of 2024.
Minnesota sign Rosales to new contract: Minnesota United FC have signed midfielder/defender Joseph Rosales to a new deal. The 23-year-old Honduran international is now under contract through 2027 with a club option for 2028.
- Here’s everything you need to know as Leagues Cup begins.
- Matt Doyle put every Leagues Cup team into tiers.
- MLS and LIGA MX teams are embracing the excitement of Leagues Cup’s return.
- MLS experts shared their Leagues Cup predictions.
- Esmir Bajraktarevic is dreaming big with the New England Revolution in the latest edition of The Pathway presented by Allstate.
- Here’s how to watch Summer Olympics men's soccer as the US take on New Zealand.
Good luck out there. Preparation is key.
