Philadelphia Union begin their third-ever Leagues Cup campaign this week, hosting Cruz Azul on Thursday, August 6th to open their Phase One schedule.
Leagues Cup is an annual, Concacaf-sanctioned tournament that brings together 18 LIGA MX teams and 18 qualified MLS clubs in a fully interleague format, to play for a Concacaf Champions Cup qualification. The top three finishers will earn Concacaf Champions Cup qualification -- the Leagues Cup champion advances directly to the CCC Round of 16. There’s alot on the line for the Boys in Blue – to support the squad as their homestand continues, click here for tickets or tune in on Apple TV and FS1 to watch the action.
Returning to the tournament
It’s been nearly two years since Philadelphia Union’s last Leagues Cup campaign concluded – in 2024, they finished fourth, falling to Colorado Rapids in the third-place match. The year before, they finished third.
This time, they’ll play under Ryan Richter, who’s led them to three straight MLS wins at home since taking over as Interim Head Coach in late May. Thursday’s match will mark his tournament at the helm, but Leagues Cup is one he is not unfamiliar with. Richter was Jim Curtin’s assistant in both 2023 and 2024, helping to push the squad toward third and fourth-place finishes.
This time around, when asked why fans should come to the stadium or tune in to watch Leagues Cup, this is what he said:
“It's a different experience for fans, for our players, for our staff in preparing for these games. It's really high-quality opponents, especially in our first game against Cruz Azul, we have a really tough opponent, but one that we want to measure ourselves against, and I think it's a great opportunity for us to see exactly where we're at with one of the best teams in CONCACAF.”
In the same press conference, Kai Wagner echoed his sentiment: "I experienced already a couple of these games. Always when you face these teams from Mexico, it's always tougher games. It's more intensity. They usually bring good fan bases too here, but we're ready for that. We are in a good run of form in the moment, so we want to bring that into the tournament too. It will be a lot of new experience for like a lot of players who didn't face like these Mexican teams yet. But I can just say, it's a lot of fun to play against these teams."
Schedule
Phase One at Subaru Park
- Philadelphia Union vs Cruz Azul - Thursday, August 6th, 8pm
- Philadelphia Union vs Necaxa - Sunday, August 9th, 7:30pm
- Philadelphia Union vs Santons Laguna -- Thursday, August 13th, 7pm
Recent momentum
Philadelphia Union has built a red-hot win streak since emerging from almost two-months without play during the World Cup break, and they’ll look to keep that it tact as they continue their six-match homestand.
In their first three matches back, Milan Iloski, Kai Wagner, and Neil Pierre each tallied three goal contributions apiece, propelling the team toward a nine-point swing out of the conference basement and up the standings.
Their most recent triumph was a 3-2 comeback victory over Atlanta United on Saturday, August 1. While it was a slow start for the Union, their second half rally was one fans, staff, and players won’t soon forget.
Atlanta United went down to 10 men in the 27th minute, but Miguel Almirón quickly built a buffer for his team scoring their first in the 30th. Tristan Muyumba doubled the advantage in the 66th. The second half surge started with a goal from Philly’s finest forward at the moment, Milan Iloski, when he flicked a deflected cross from Wagner past Lucas Hoyos and into the back of net, marking his sixth consecutive MLS match with a goal for a new club record.
With directive from Richter to go for not just the draw, but all three points and a slew of attacking subs to send an even louder message, Philly pressed forward – in the 96th, Wagner found Pierre for a header equalizer. Just one minute later, Wagner sent another ball into the box toward Ezekiel Alladoh, anticipating his teammates pinpoint pass, shooting, then scoring the game-winner. Alladoh’s finish marked his first in his MLS career, extending his team’s winning streak three straight.
Positivity and competition have permeated the club’s campus in Chester, just in time to welcome Liga MX’s opponent for Leagues Cup.
Phase One, Match One
Cruz Azul is the first of three Liga MXs teams to visit Subaru Park for Phase One of Leagues Cup. They’ve also only played three matches since the World Cup break, recently starting 2026-27 Apertura. They sit at sixth place with two wins and a loss, defeating Atletico de San Luis and Puebla, then falling to Atlante.
In their last three league matches, six different players have hit the back of the net for seven total goals, with 26-year-old mexican midfielder Ángel Márquez leading the scoring by way of brace vs Atlético de San Luis.
Cruz Azul Additions of note
- The Liga MX squad appointed Joel Huiqui to take over as Head Coach permanently in July 8 after he served as interim since April 2026.
- Arriving as a free agent, center back Alán Montes joins the squad shortly after playing in Necaxa's Apertura 2026 campaign.
- Also joining on defense is Agustín Palavecino. The Argentinian defender previously played for Necaxa before joining Cruz Azul on a $5.5 million transfer deal.
- Son of memorable goalkeeper Migual Calero, Juan Calero, a 27-year-old Colombian-Mexican striker, signed a two-year deal after leading Venados in scoring throughout the 2025 Apertura, netting 15 goals.
