The 2025 Leagues Cup starts this week as the MLS and Liga MX teams compete to see who is the best of the best between the two leagues. In Southern California there will be many Mexican clubs playing in the area so there will be a plethora of games to attend. Tijuana, Pachuca, Cruz Azul, Santos, Tigres and Mazatlán will all play in LA so here’s a preview of how these Liga MX teams will stack up.
Tijauna
When the Xolos arrive in Los Angeles all eyes will be on youngster Gilberto Mora who has gathered
a lot of attention after his performance in the Gold Cup. While he has earned that attention he is only one player amongst a team who has struggled in recent years. Tijuana has struggled because they have not been able to find the right coach for the team. They actually had the right coach in Juan Carlos Osorio but they let him go when the team hit a bump in the road. In his first season with the team he changed the players and it was evident. Osorio even debuted Mora when others didn’t see anything in the youngster. In his second season the team had a rough start to the season so the front office let him go instead of being patient with him. Now they have Sebastian Abreu at the helm but he hasn’t gotten the best performance out of the players. In the Leagues Cup Tijuana will need to make it out of the group stages if the front office wants to justify their decision when they fired Osorio.
Pachuca
After a disastrous Club World Cup Jimmy Lozano and Pachuca will have a lot riding on their shoulders to make it far in this competition. After Guillermo Almada left at the end of the season Lozano had a lot of pressure put on him to deliver success but the team crashed out of the group stages and were unable to win a game. The team didn’t even look like themselves which has caused a lot of criticism for Lozano. While Lozano and the team had a rough start to their relationship so far things have looked up during the Apertura 2025. In their first three games Pachuca have come out victorious in all three and sit at the top of the table. With this positive start it will be important to make it out of the group as fans will demand a better showing than the Club World Cup.
Cruz Azul
The Maquina have come off a season that ended with a trophy after they won the Concacaf Champions Cup. With a trophy in hand they will be looking to add the Leagues Cup trophy to their collection but that might just be more difficult than expected. Cruz Azul was led to the Champions Cup trophy by Vicente Sanchez who was only in charge for five months as the front office weren’t fully on board with the coach. This was puzzling to many as he won them a trophy but the front office made their decision and let Sanchez go. Now Nicolas Larcamon is in charge and his first two games have not gone well as they drew both games to opponents they should have easily defeated. In his defense, the goalkeeper did make mistakes that led to goals. Either way Cruz Azul fans want another trophy after their Champions Cup victory and they have a talented roster to do so but it will be up to the players themselves if they do their job or not.
Santos Laguna
To say that the past couple of years have been hard for Santos would be an understatement. Season after season after season ends with a place at the bottom of the table for the Guerreros that just haven’t been able to find their footing. It looks like things might get better for them after it was announced that Grupo Orlegi is looking to sell Atlas as Liga MX looks to be cracking down on multi-ownership. With the sale of Atlas this means that Orlegi will be able to focus on Santos who are in desperate need of a change. Their chances of making it out of the group are slim as they will face the Seattle Sounders and the Colorado Rapids, who sit in 4th and 7th place respectively. LA Galaxy sit in last place in the Western Conference so a win against them is likely but it might not be enough to get them through to the next round.
Tigres
Tigres will face off against Houston, LAFC and San Diego in the group stage. Their biggest opponent will be San Diego who is in their inaugural season and has so far exceeded all expectations as they sit at the top of the conference. Meanwhile Tigres sits in third place after three games. Since their last championship title in 2023 Tigres have come short in adding to their trophy collection but this competition might not be the one they win. Tigres will more than likely make it past the group stage but they fall short in competitions because they just can’t seem to find the missing piece they need to link everything together. They have talented players but fall short and this tournament might just be another one.
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is another team who has had a complicated recent years. Things have actually been difficult for the club since they joined the league in 2020. In a way the team was doomed from the start since the owners turned Monarcas Morelia into Mazatlán even though fans everywhere were against this idea. Even with such terrible results, the club has a loyal fan base that make their way to the stadium to cheer on their team even though the results are not there. The team will have a difficult tournament as they will face LAFC, Houston and San Diego. While Houston is currently not in a playoff spot they are fighting their way there. Mazatlán will have a hard group but hopefully they can put up a fight this tournament.
Liga MX and the MLS have another opportunity to prove who the best league is with this competition. So far two MLS teams have won the trophy and this might just be the year that a Mexican team wins the trophy and maybe it will be one of these teams. So Liga MX fans, what are your predictions for the Leagues Cup?
More from fmfstateofmind.com:
- Will Carlos Salcedo Fit In At Fiorentina?
- Mexico's making a mistake hosting Honduras at the Estadio Azteca
- Mexicans Abroad Roundup - 8/21
- Chicharito Hurt, Out for September WCQ Games
- Postgame Observations: America lacks play as a unit against Puebla
- Watch: Chicharito opens 2016/2017 campaign with goal in DFB-Pokal
- Puebla 2-2 Club America: Highlights
