It’s time to leave it all on the pitch for Orlando City SC and for Cruz Azul, as they face each other for a chance to inch one step closer to winning the Leagues Cup trophy in this Round of 32 matchup to be played on Friday at Inter&CO Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
Both of these teams are set to play in their first elimination game of this edition of the tournament and they are committed to move on and rally around their respective players to get to the next round. The home team had a remarkable group stage, as OCSC dominated their fellow Canadian rivals CF Montreal by a score of 4-1 and then got a pair of points after a 90-minute 1-1 draw and a 5-4 penalty shootout win against Atletico San Luis.
The MLS team will try to continue their positive streak in the season, as they are undefeated in their last seven games. In the 2023 edition of the tournament, they also managed to finish in first place of their group, however Orlando City SC lost 3-1 to the eventual champion Inter Miami CF and after winning East 2 in 2024, they will battle for a different result.
For Cruz Azul it was a very tough first round, as they managed to advance out of a very tight East 4 that was won by Philadelphia Union after having only one more point than Los Cementeros. The Liga MX team had two draws, one against Charlotte FC and another one against Union but the penalty shootout victory by a score of 5-3 secured second place for them.
In the previous edition of the tournament, Cruz Azul also advanced to the Round of 32 as a second-place team, only to be eliminated by Charlotte FC on shots from 12 yards away after a 0-0 draw in regulation. The Mexican squad also wants to put this behind them.
Two of the most consistent teams in their leagues square off on the pitch for a spot in the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup in a game that promises fireworks from the first whistle, as Orlando City SC and Cruz Azul look to write a new chapter in their history as they have their eyes set on the Leagues Cup trophy.
