Leagues Cup 2023 is already down to its final four clubs: Philadelphia Union, Inter Miami CF, CF Monterrey, and Nashville SC. This Tuesday’s semi-finals will see two advance to the semi-finals. Ahead of the two clashes, here’s a look at how each team reached this stage of the competition:
In what has been a new chapter for North American soccer, the extended tournament is now in its final straight. The 47 best teams from Canada, Mexico and the United States were at the starting point, and four now remain in contention to claim the title.
Every team’s road to the semi-finals:
Philadelphia Union:
The Union have played all five of their games at home, winning three times in regular time and twice on penalties. Their group stage campaign featured a 3-1 win over Club Tijuana, which they followed up with a 5-1 victory against Club Querétaro.
In the round of 32, the team’s match against MLS rivals D.C. United ended in a 0-0 draw, but Philadelphia Union then won 5-4 on penalties. The New York Red Bulls were their next opponent in the round of 16, with the match-up ending 1-1 before a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win for the hosts.
They then crossed paths with Club Querétaro once again, this time in the knockouts. The final score was 2-1 for the Union, in what was a less convincing result than in the group stages.
This Tuesday, Jim Curtin’s men will be taking on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF for a spot in the Leagues Cup 2023 final.
Inter Miami CF
Out of the four matches that the Florida outfit have played, four have been home wins, with their only home game going to a penalty shoot-out. Their curtain-raiser was a 2-1 victory over Cruz Azul, thanks to a dramatic late free-kick winner from Lionel Messi on his debut.
The team saw out their group stage campaign with a 4-0 win over Atlanta United FC. They then moved on to the round of 32, where another scintillating performance from the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner helped see off Orlando City SC 3-1.
For the Florida outfit’s last 16 clash, a trip to Texas was on the cards. Their match against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium would end 4-4 after 90 minutes, with the visitors coming out on top after the spot-kick session.
Inter Miami then clinched their spot in the semi-finals with a convincing 4-0 win over Charlotte FC, with Philadelphia Union now standing between them and a place in the final.
CF Monterrey
CF Monterrey have won all five of their match-ups in the tournament so far. They started off with a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake, before a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Sounders, which saw them top their pool with a perfect record.
In the round of 32, Rayados managed a 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers, before repeating that same scoreline in the Clásico Regio against their arch rivals Club Tigres to go through to the quarter-finals.
CF Monterrey’s next game saw an inspired turnaround against Los Angeles FC, as the LIGA MX club came back from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2, with all-time top scorer Rogelio Funes Mori scoring a late winner. They’ll be taking on Nashville SC in the semi-final.
Nashville SC
The MLS franchise have won three of their five Leagues Cup games in regulation time. They kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids, before losing 4-3 to Toluca FC. Nevertheless, their three points were enough to go through to the knockout stages.
Cincinnati FC was the team’s opponent, and Nashville were able to come out on top in the penalty shoot-out, after the match had ended 1-1. In the last 16, they faced Club América, who they beat 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 stalemate in regulation time.
In their quarter-final, though, the Eastern Conference side left no room for doubt as they resoundingly beat Minnesota United FC 5-0 to set up a semi-final clash against CF Monterrey.
