After suffering defeat in their opening Leagues Cup match against Mazatlán FC, Austin FC are looking to make amends in their final group stage clash against another LIGA MX side in FC Juárez.
The recently-formed Texas side were going into the tournament with an impressive MLS record so far, and sit in 5th place in the Western Conference. Last year, they finished second in the regular season and made it to the Audi MLS Cup Playoff semi-finals. However, Diego Fagúndez’s penalty was not enough for The Oaks to avoid defeat in their opening match.
FC Juárez, meanwhile, have enjoyed a strong start to the LIGA MX campaign, and are unbeaten in their first three match-ups. It’s a welcome upturn in form for Diego Mejía’s men, who missed out on the playoffs at the end of the Clausura 2023 back in spring.
Which teams make up South 1?
South 1 is one of only two Leagues Cup groups that features two Mexican sides, with Austin FC and FC Juárez being joined by Mazatlán FC. All three sides were recently formed, and are looking to win their first piece of silverware at this summer’s tournament. With Mazatlán having won their opening game, the match-up between Austin and Juárez could be decisive for the final spot in the knockout stages.
Kick-off time and where to watch Austin FC v FC Juárez:
The final match-up of the South 1 group will take place at Q2 Stadium in Austin, on July 29, and the game kicks off at 8:30pm ET, (6:30pm in Mexico City). The game can be watched in both the United States and in Mexico on AppleTV+.
Possible lineups
Austin FC: Brad Stuver; Adam Lundqvist, Kip Keller, Julio Cascante and Nick Lima; Owen Wolff and Jhojan Valencia; Sebastián Driussi, Diego Fagúndez and Ethan Finlay; Gyasi Zardes.
FC Juárez: Alfredo Talavera; Luis Rodríguez, Haret Ortega, José Juan Manriquez and Aldo Cruz; Diego Chávez, Javier Salas, Danzell García and Sebastián Saucedo; Aitor García and Avilés Hurtado.
