FC Juárez will aim to continue slaying MLS opposition as they travel to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for a Leagues Cup Round of 32 clash with a Colorado Rapids team who already sent a Liga MX team packing themselves in their last match and will hope to add to the list.
To set up this classic Leagues Cup matchup between two teams who have never faced each other, Juárez topped group West 3 to earn their advancement with a regulation win over FC Dallas and a penalty shootout win over St. Louis CITY SC in the group stage. Meanwhile, Rapids snuck through by the skin of their teeth with a penalty shootout victory over Club León in their final group stage match courtesy of former Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen — one of a few major offseason additions that rebuilt Colorado.
United States Olympian Djordje Mihailovic would be another name on that list after returning from a stint in the Dutch Eredivise to produce the Rapids goals alongside fellow recent MLS returnee Cole Bassett and on-loan striker Rafael Navarro who rescued Colorado with his 90+7’ equalizer against León. Combined, the trio has 50 goal contributions in MLS this season.
Bravos captain Francisco Calvo will hope to leverage his years of MLS experience to stop them.
Juárez also carries MLS familiarity in the attacking third through Jairo Torres but will expect most of their goals to come from veteran Liga MX strikers Avilés Hurtado and Ángel Zaldívar as well as left-winger Aitor Garcia who is coming off the best season of his career in his first in Juárez. The group will look to punish a Rapids team that has conceded the most goals of any Western Conference team in a playoff position this season.
Colorado hopes to defend Dick’s while Bravos will want to avenge their worst defeat in club history in last season’s Leagues Cup Round of 32 versus LAFC (7-1) as both sides chase their first knockout stage victory on Friday night in a win-or-go-home scenario.
