Just as FC Cincinnati had gotten the offense engines going again in MLS play, there’s a “Detour” sign on the side of the road. The “Leagues Cup” diversion is coming to town again.
Last season, FC Cincinnati’s performance would have been enough to advance in previous iterations of the joint competition between MLS and Liga MX. The Orange & Blue began their trek with a solid win over CF Monterrey and a distraught shootout loss to Juarez. In the previous format, those four points would have been enough for advancing to the knockout rounds. However, the format’s change to a table format and the disheartening 3-1 loss to Chivas Guadalajara doomed Cincinnati to the sidelines, watching as Seattle claimed the Leagues Cup over Inter Miami.
The road to the Cup will again involve three Liga MX teams coming to TQL Stadium. This time around, the strength will come in the middle match against Pumas UNAM, but the first challenge will come from C.F. Pachuca, a team that pilfered the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2024.
C.F. PACHUCA
Los Tuzos (The Gophers) have had an extensive history in Mexico, but much of their recent success has been defined by their international competitiveness. Pachuca have won seven half-season titles in Mexico’s top division since 1999, but only two titles since the league rebranded to Liga MX in 2012. In the same span of time, Pachuca collected five CONCACAF Champions League titles, tying them for third overall.
Their most recent Apertura half-season title in 2022, however, led to their biggest international success. The switch to the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2024 expanded the field, but Pachuca found no issues in claiming the first CCC title. Los Tuzos beat Philadelphia and Costa Rican outfit Herediano in six-goal aggregate wins, then outlasted Club America in the semifinals. Pachuca eventually won the Cup final 3-0 against Columbus Crew, but not without controversy. The Columbus coaching staff and front office hinted that the stomach illnesses going around may have been nefarious “subterfuge”.
Within the Leagues Cup, Pachuca’s standings have been just as mixed as Cincinnati’s. Despite having the bye in the 2023 Leagues Cup, Pachuca were defeated in penalty kicks by Houston. After getting through the group stage in 2024, Pachuca then crashed in the Round of 32 to Tigres. The Gophers made it to the knockout round again in 2025, only to fall to LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals.
Pachuca have not started their 2026 Apertura half-season as well as the previous Clausura. The team finished fourth in the Clausura behind a relatively solid defense and goalkeeper in captain Carlos Moreno, but the offense was not as proficient as in previous years. Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon found his form after his return from a loan to Real Oviedo, leading the team with eight goals over the last 23 matches. His offense fills the void left from a departing Enner Valencia. Meanwhile, Moroccan left-winger Oussama Idrissi has provided steady performances, scoring 18 goals and 30 assists since joining from Sevilla in 2023.
Pachuca have stumbled out of the gate to start the 2026 Apertura. After an impressive 3-0 win at Pumas, Pachuca crumbled in the second half against Queretaro to lose 2-1 and then floundered 1-0 in a card-filled affair against sister club Leon. If head coach Benjamin Mora wants his team to advance, he’ll have to lean on veteran attackers Kenedy and Rodolfo Pizarro to pull the wagons.
THE ORANGE & BLUE
The 4-2 victory against San Jose on Saturday will have to be short-lived for Pat Noonan’s lads. However, the good news is that the team has avoided injuries that rattled the team in the first half of the season. Even better, the players suspended from that win–center back Matt Miazga and midfielder Dado Valenzuela–should be available for the Leagues Cup opener.
While FC Cincinnati are still trying to figure out a path through Mexican competition in the CCC, that’s not necessarily the case in Leagues Cup. So far. the Orange & Blue have made it through the group stage twice in three attempts. Along the way, in six matches, they have beaten Mexican squads three times in regular time and once in penalty kicks. However, they’ve yet to get past MLS squads in the knockout stages, having been eliminated by Nashville in 2023 and Philadelphia in 2024.
While the tournament will feature the entirety of the first team, the squad has called up FCC2 players to fill some spots temporarily. Forward Cheikhou Nieng and defenders Deiver Mosquera and Felix Samson have taken some roster spots for the Leagues Cup temporarily. Players such as forward Stefan Chirila, defender Ayoub Lajhar, goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek, and midfielders Stiven Jimenez and Ademar Chavez will likely get more prominent roles and time on the pitch as the coaching staff rotates players over an eight-day span.
Of the players to watch, forward Kristian Fletcher will likely see more pitch time. While he has gotten formative play with FCC2 and during the friendly against Burnley FC, he has yet to play professional minutes with the first team. That likely changes when the likes of Kevin Denkey and Evander get some rest or start the matches on the bench.
Predicted lineup:
Your guess is as good as ours.
In the first match against Monterrey last Leagues Cup, Evander, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Pavel Bucha played 90 minutes in their 3-1 victory. In later matches, more players from the reserve team saw minutes, but the results got progressively worse.
Pat Noonan and the coaching staff may try to scatter more reserve players earlier in the group-stage matches to conserve first-team energy over a very busy month of August. However, Noonan emphasized in Monday’s press conference that it would likely require seven out of nine points and a high goal differential to advance.
It might not be far out to see workhorses like Evander give at least 60 minutes, but if Cincinnati can use the home pitch to their advantage, perhaps an early lead is something they can try to bank on.
Match Info
Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
When: Tuesday, August 4th at 7:30 p.m.
Watch: Apple+, FS1
Listen: ESPN 1530 iHeart Radio w/ Tommy Gelehrter and Kevin McCloskey
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