Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Cruz Azul, Leagues Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions face their second consecutive Liga MX opponent as the Leagues Cup knockout stages begin.
Welcome to your match thread for a Friday night Leagues Cup knockout stage matchup between Orlando City and Liga MX side Cruz Azul at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the competition’s round of 32, and tonight’s game marks the first meeting between the two teams.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
As this is the first-ever clash between these two clubs, there is no history between them. Cruz Azul went 0-1-2 in the 2023 iteration of the Leagues Cup, finishing second in Group South 3, losing to Inter Miami and drawing Atlanta United, beating the latter in the penalty shootout to squeak into the knockouts. Once there, however, Cruz Azul again drew — this time a scoreless deadlock against Charlotte FC — before bowing out on penalties.
Orlando City is 1-2-4 in competitive matches against Liga MX teams, drawing Atletico San Luis a week ago and winning the ensuing shootout, splitting a pair of previous Leagues Cup matches against Santos Laguna, and going 0-1-3 in four Concacaf Champions League/Cup matches against Tigres.
Match Overview
Orlando City enters this match on a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions (5-0-2). The Lions are coming off a 1-1 home draw a week ago against Atletico San Luis, winning the shootout 5-4, although it made no difference in the group standings. Orlando is 3-5-4 at home in MLS play in 2024 and 5-5-6 at Inter&Co Stadium in all competitive matches. Things have been better recently, as the Lions are 3-0-2 in their last five at home.
Cruz Azul is coming off a nervy 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union, conceding the tying goal in the 88th minute before winning the ensuing penalty shootout to finish ahead of Charlotte FC in Group East 4 to advance to the knockouts. La Máquina drew both group-stage games, starting the competition with a 0-0 draw against Charlotte and losing the penalty shootout (as it did last year in the round of 32).
“[Cruz Azul] is a well-renowned team in Mexico; one of the best in the region for sure,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “We have seen their games in Leagues Cup and in the Mexican tournament, and surely they have done the same with us. I think it’s two good teams facing off at this stage, probably too early for both teams, but we’re excited. We’ve been analyzing them like any other team, making sure that we are prepared”
The Lions will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg).
Match Content
- Our most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast features our key match-ups and score predictions for tonight’s game.
- Our David Rohe provided his three keys to an Orlando City victory over Cruz Azul.
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.
Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.
Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.
Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.
Forward: Ramiro Enrique.
Bench: Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Michael Halliday, Luca Petrasso, Rodrigo Schlegel, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Yutaro Tsukada, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.
Cruz Azul (5-3-2)
Goalkeeper: Kevin Mier.
Defenders: Carlos Rotondi, Gonzalo Piovi, Luis Romo, Willer Ditta, Jorge Sanchez.
Midfielders: Alexis Gutierrez, Erik Lira, Lorenzo Faravelli.
Forwards: Giorgos Giakoumakis, Ignacio Rivero.
Bench: Andres Gudino, Uriel Antuna, Carlos Rodriguez, Andres Montano, Angel Sepulveda, Jorge Garcia, Bryan Gamboa, Amaury Garcia, Raymundo Rubio, Camilo Candido, Luis Jimenez, Javier Suarez.
Referees:
REF: Fernando Guerrero Ramirez.
AR1: Michel Espinoza Avalos.
AR2: David Moran.
4TH: Nelson Salgado.
VAR: TBA.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English).
Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).
Enjoy the match. Go City!