US Open Cup and Canadian Championship semifinals begin tonight
More Concacaf Champions Cup spots will be claimed soon. Sporting KC host Indy Eleven in the US Open Cup, while Toronto host Forge FC and Vancouver take on Pacific FC. Check out the full schedule here.
Philadelphia transfer Martínez to Corinthians
The Philadelphia Union have transferred midfielder José Martínez to Brazilian top-flight side Corinthians. The 30-year-old Venezuelan international departs for reportedly up to $2 million.
Right after you thought you’d caught your breath from Leagues Cup, there are more cup competitions with a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup on the line ready to start back up.
Tonight, Sporting KC will host the USL Championship’s Indy Eleven at 8 pm ET on Apple TV in a US Open Cup semifinal. Meanwhile, Toronto face Forge FC at 7 pm ET and Vancouver host Pacific FC at 10:30 pm ET in the second legs of the Canadian Championship semifinals.
Then, tomorrow, Seattle will host LAFC in the second U.S. Open Cup semifinal at 10:30 pm ET. Here’s what to keep an eye out for in each matchup.
Toronto FC (1) vs. Forge FC (2)
Tuesday | 7 pm ET
Soooo uh, yeah, those numbers in parentheses? That’s the number of goals each team scored in the first leg of this semifinal. You’ll notice that Toronto FC, the MLS team currently sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, has one goal while Forge FC, the Canadian Premier League team, has two goals. The first leg did not go well for Toronto. In fact, it almost bordered on total disaster until Prince Owusu scored in the 88th minute.
What’s even rougher for Toronto is that they only rotated a little. They had both of their Designated Players out there. Forge FC had none of their DPs out there. Unless there’s a Canadian Premier League rule that actually allows for DPs, in which case, I sincerely apologize.
Either way, Toronto can’t pretend this happened by accident. Forge FC are first in the CPL after 20 games. When Toronto win in MLS, it’s often not entirely clear how it happened. Take their 1-0 road win over Houston this weekend that came via a deflected header. They have a genuine gift for pulling out wins, but the flip side is that they never seem to just win by being notably better than the other side. That’s why they’re above the playoff line in MLS but nursing a -12 goal differential. Toronto are going to have to be something close to their best to survive here.
Sporting Kansas City vs Indy Eleven
Tuesday | 8 pm ET | Apple TV - Free
Don’t take Indy Eleven lightly. Just ask Atlanta United. Indy Eleven went down to Georgia in July and earned a 2-1 win on a day when they were the better team.
To be fair, Atlanta haven’t been a juggernaut this year. But Sporting KC have been even worse. They’ve allowed the fourth-most goals in MLS and are sitting 12th in the West. There haven’t been many bright spots this season after last year’s late run to the Western Conference semifinals.
This is their big chance to find a genuine bright spot. They’re at least heading into this with some momentum. They whomped Orlando City over the weekend in a 3-0 rout. They’ll need a similar performance to move on against a team that will be approaching this one like the game of their lives.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC (1) vs. Pacific FC (0)
Tuesday | 10:30 pm ET
This is one where the MLS team might be able to go into this without the anxiety plaguing the rest of the remaining domestic cup sides. The Whitecaps took care of business in the first leg, and Pacific FC are sitting seventh in the eight-team Canadian Premier League. Pacific FC are going to need something special to pull this off.
Seattle Sounders FC vs. LAFC
Wednesday | 10:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free
LAFC are going to have whiplash from this week. Three days after falling in the Leagues Cup final to a Columbus side that always seems to get the better of them, they’ll turn around and play a semifinal against a Seattle side they’ve been getting the better of for years now.
Literally years. Seattle haven’t beaten LAFC since May of 2021. LAFC have won seven of the last nine meetings. That includes the Leagues Cup quarterfinal less than two weeks ago. LAFC outclassed Seattle from the jump and cruised to a 3-0 win. That 3-0 win came about a month after their last 3-0 win over the Sounders. They jumped out to an early lead in that one too and never looked back. Seattle have had no answers.
So, what’s going to be different this time? Well, the most likely answer is: Not much. But there’s a chance that there will be varying degrees of motivation here. Winning the US Open Cup is Seattle’s best shot at the Concacaf Champions Cup. LAFC have already clinched their spot.
On top of that, there’s a real chance there will be a let-off after the disappointment of the Leagues Cup final. This isn’t a gentle turnaround and it’s not clear how they’ll approach it. They may even decide to rotate key pieces.
That makes this Seattle’s best chance at taking down LAFC in a long, long, long, long, long time. If they don’t get it done now, who knows when it will happen again.
Inter Miami's Suárez named Player of the Matchday: Following his Matchday 29 performance, Inter Miami CF star Luis Suárez has earned MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors for the third time this season. The legendary Uruguayan striker notched his fourth multi-goal MLS game this year with a brace in Miami's 2-0 home win over FC Cincinnati, helping clinch the Herons' spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Here’s to watch the US Open Cup semifinals.
- Sacha Kljestan looked at whose stock is up and whose is down.
- Here’s your Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
- These teams have already qualified for Concacaf Champions Cup.
- Don Garber is celebrating 25 years as commissioner of MLS.
Good luck out there. It’s more fun to lift with your friends.
