Alright everyone, the time has come—the knockout rounds are here. This Thursday, Club Necaxa will face the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park at 11 p.m. ET, available on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the next round and aiming to move one step closer to lifting the Leagues Cup trophy. In this Round of 32 matchup, the group winner of West 6 (Necaxa) will take on the second-place team from West 2 (San Jose).
Even though Necaxa won their group, the Earthquakes are hosting because Los Rojiblancos is not among the LIGA MX teams with hub privileges. Recently, San Jose saw over 50,000 fans pack their home match against Chivas, with the majority being Chivas supporters. This time, however, the atmosphere is expected to favor the Quakes.
Necaxa, partially owned by famous actress Eva Longoria, enters this match on the strength of their own performance, having defeated the Seattle Sounders to qualify. Meanwhile, San Jose benefits from the LA Galaxy's penalty shootout win over Chivas. Both Chivas and the Earthquakes finished the group stage with two points, but San Jose advanced due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
"I'm feeling well. We feel prepared for this next round. The results have gone our way, and we are grateful for that," stated Earthquakes midfielder Hernan Lopez.
The Black and Blue will look to capitalize on their home-field advantage in this match, with forward Jeremy Ebobisse leading the charge. Ebobisse, who has scored two goals in two matches, has found impressive form in the tournament and is keen to maintain his momentum, potentially vying for the golden boot. San Jose Earthquakes Head Coach Ian Russell commented on Ebobisse's resurgence: “I think confidence is part of it. And then tactically, we've tried to adjust a few things.”
Los Rayos enter this matchup with one win and three goals scored in the group stage, all of which came from their last encounter against the Sounders. Despite having only 28% possession in that match, Necaxa secured a victory through a lethal and direct counter-attack. If Los Electricistas want to advance, they will need to replicate the same strategy that saw them qualify away from home. “They are a team that defensively is very good, but their counter-attack — they have the best counter-attack in the league. They're the most dangerous team in counter-attack,” praised Russell.
With each team having a game plan in mind, all that remains is execution. As the San Jose Earthquakes and Club Necaxa aim to build on their recent results and secure a spot in the Round of 16, they set their sights on the trophy.
