Despite their current position in the MLS standings, the Galaxy have a chance to secure a berth in next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Starting Thursday night, the Galaxy will begin play in the new-look Leagues Cup tournament between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
The year’s tournament features 18 teams from both leagues. After “phase one,” which began Tuesday, the top four teams in each league will advance to the quarterfinals. All games until the semifinals are guaranteed to feature an MLS team against Liga MX.
Another of the changes this season is teams are facing three opponents from the opposite league through the opening phase of play.
“After the results we saw yesterday (Tuesday), I think it kind of benefits us,” Galaxy midfielder Diego Fagundez said. “Now we just have to wait for the results today (Wednesday), but for us, I think it’s a new tournament, it’s a new way to get another trophy, so we just have to go with everything and make sure we take care of business.”
The Galaxy, the seventh seed in the tournament, will open Thursday against Club Tijuana (8 p.m.). Xolos, as the club is called, is 1-1-1 through the first three games of the Mexican Apertura tournament.
In Tuesday’s opening round, all six MLS teams failed to win. Teams receive one point if a game is tied after 90 minutes. After the penalty shootout, the winner receives an additional point. All wins in regulation are worth three points.
“It’s an interesting format because, in a way, I know you’re playing against your direct opponent, but you’re not competing against your direct opponent, when it comes to the broader tournament,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “So, it makes it interesting and I think as the tournament goes along, you get into the second and third games and the points start to play themselves out. It’s going to be interesting how teams approach each of these games. I think it can lead to lead to some games being quite open and it can lead to teams really pushing heavy to just try to accumulate points.
“It’s interesting from my perspective as somebody who’s grown up in U.S. Soccer and MLS and I watch these games, my natural instinct is to kind of root for the MLS teams. And now I catch myself, ‘Wait, no. No, we don’t want the MLS teams to acquire points because we’re competing with those guys.’ So it’s been interesting shifting my dynamic in my mind a little bit that way as well, in terms of just the bigger picture of the tournament.”
The Galaxy will also face Cruz Azul (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.) and Santos Laguna (Aug. 7 at 8:15 p.m.). All games will be played at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Unlike the previous edition, this year’s tournament will run during the current regular season. Each league took a break for the tournament in previous years. The quarterfinals are Aug. 19-20, the semifinals are Aug. 26-27 and the final is set for Aug. 31. The top three finishers (two finalists and the third-place winner) will receive an automatic berth to the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
LEAGUES CUP: CLUB TIJUANA at GALAXY
When: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
TV/radio: Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass)
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