Two sides fresh off dramatic victories in the previous stage of the Leagues Cup will square off in the quarter-finals on Saturday as Club America take on the Colorado Rapids at Dignity Health Sports Park in California.
On Tuesday, three goals in the latter stages propelled Azulcremas into the last eight, defeating St Louis City 4-2, while Colorado also scored late to claim a 2-1 triumph over Toluca.
Match preview
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It took a furious surge in the final 11 minutes plus stoppage time for America to turn the tide in their favour against St Louis City.
Down 2-1 with time running out, Andre Jardine boldly took out the joint-top goalscorer in the Liga MX Apertura this season, Henry Martin.
Jardine's second-half substitutions proved decisive, as two of them contributed goals in the final 11 minutes, plus injury time.
As a result, they maintained their 100% record this month, making it into the last eight of this tournament for the first time since 2019.
On that occasion, they advanced beyond the quarter-finals on penalties versus the Houston Dynamo (6-5), despite squandering a 1-0 lead with five minutes remaining in a match that ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.
Aguilas have never lost a Leagues Cup affair in California, with their round of 16 match on Tuesday occurring at Dignity Health Sports Park, while beating Los Angeles FC at SoFi Stadium on penalties (6-5) in 2022.
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Throughout the current Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign, the Colorado Rapids have defied expectations and are doing so at the Leagues Cup.
Chris Armas' men are through to the quarter-finals of this competition for the first time, winning both of their knockout fixtures by a single goal.
Under Armas, this team have been happy to be out of possession for long stretches, effectively dropping quickly into a mid-block when there is no more press and forcing turnovers into good areas of the field.
Colorado have been resilient and managed to move on quickly from a disappointment, getting thoroughly manhandled by the Portland Timbers in their Leagues Cup opener (4-0), but have not suffered a defeat since then.
Only once since the start of the 2024 MLS regular season have they suffered consecutive competitive defeats, losing 3-1 to the Houston Dynamo in late May before the Vancouver Whitecaps beat them 2-1 at the beginning of June.
The Burgundy Boys have a 100% record versus Liga MX sides in this competition, but they have never won a Leagues Cup contest outside Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
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Team News
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Club America could be without Kevin Alvarez again this weekend because of a foot injury, which kept him out of the fold against St Louis.
Alejandro Zendejas is not expected to return from his leg injury until late August, while Jorge Mere is unlikely to return this season due to a cruciate ligament tear.
Brian Rodriguez had a brace on Tuesday, including the winner, Diego Valdes, notching their second, while Richard Sanchez collected two assists and fellow substitute Rodrigo Aguirre scored deep into stoppage time.
On Tuesday, the Rapids were missing Kevin Cabral, who has a sore elbow, Jackson Travis was on the bench after previously suffering a stress fracture and Daniel Chacon was sidelined with a knee injury.
Oliver Larraz was the only newcomer in the Colorado starting 11 against Toluca, replacing Connor Ronan as a holding midfielder.
Rafael Navarro netted the opener late in the first half, though it was a 96th-minute strike by Darren Yapi, which held up as the winner against Toluca.
Club America possible starting lineup:
Malagon; Reyes, Lichnovsky, Araujo, Borja; Fidalgo, Dos Santos; Sanchez, Valdes, B. Rodriguez; Martin
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Rosenberry, Abubakar, Maxso, Vines; Ronan, Bassett; Fernandez, Mihailovic, Lewis; Navarro
We say: Club America 2-1 Colorado Rapids
America are loaded with high-level talent across the board, and we do not believe the Rapids' overall quality will be able to match the Mexicans'.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
