This one will be a thriller. A spot in the Round of 16 is up for grabs when St. Louis CITY SC meets Portland Timbers this Friday at CITYPARK at 8:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, as both teams look to establish themselves as a Leagues Cup referent.
CITY SC had to battle to earn their place in this stage of the tournament, as they remembered what it felt like to not qualify to the round of 32 in the last edition and they did not want to repeat what happened in 2023. They started the 2024 edition by beating FC Dallas 2-1 but then ended up tying 1-1 with FC Juarez and dropping the penalty shootout with first place of West 3 on the line. Those four points made them the second place team in the group.
In last year’s Leagues Cup, CITY SC went winless against Columbus Crew and Club America finishing their participation with zero points. Now things are different as they are part of an eight-team group that have reached the knockout round after not doing so in 2023.
Portland Timbers had a very different situation going on for them in the group stage. They dominated their opponents to finish in first place of West 5 after beating Club Leon 2-1 in their first game and then defeating Colorado Rapids by a score of 4-0. They were one of the most dangerous teams in the first round of the tournament.
This year’s performance in the group stage is an improvement compared to their previous participation in the tournament, as they finished second with three points after matching up against a Liga MX opponent and an MLS rival, being Tigres and San Jose Earthquakes. They lost to Monterrey 1-0 in the Round of 32.
We don´t know what the outcome will be, but we do know what to expect from these two teams. They will battle on the pitch for a spot in the next round as they want to be crowned champions of the most important North American tournament there is and winning this game means they would be another step closer to Leagues Cup glory.
