The Seattle Sounders will face Liga MX sides Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna and Tijuana in Leagues Cup — with all three matches at Lumen Field — it was announced on Tuesday. The Sounders will play Cruz Azul on July 31, Santos Laguna on Aug. 3 and Tijuana on Aug. 6. There will be no MLS games played between the three Phase One matches.
As had been previously announced, the draw was set up so that the Sounders would play one team from each of the three Liga MX tiers that were determined by their finish in previous seasons. Unlike previous versions of the tournament, Phase One will only consist of MLS vs. Liga MX matchups, with the top four teams from each league advancing to the quarterfinals.
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About Sounders’ opponents
Cruz Azul: One of Liga MX’s historic “grandes”, Cruz Azul comes into this tournament as their league’s highest-rated team after finishing with the most points in the combined 2024 Clausura and 2024 Apertura tables. They are currently fourth in the 2025 Clausura. Cruz Azul has hosting privileges for its other two Phase One matches as well as a potential quarterfinal match. Among their leading scorers is Giorgos Giakoumakis, who previously played for Atlanta United. This will be the first time the Sounders have face Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup play, but could end up being the third time they face them across all competitions this year as the two teams could match up in Concacaf Champions Cup. Prior to this year, the Sounders had only ever played Cruz Azul once before. That was in the 1996 Concacaf Champions Cup which Cruz Azul won 11-0.
Tijuana: Another team that has hit a bit of a rough patch, Xolos have not finished better than 10th in the combined Liga MX table since winning it in 2016-17. Xolos currently sit 16th in the 2025 Clausura. Colombian Jose Zuñiga is their top scorer with seven goals. Two names you might recognize are former Galaxy midfielder Efrain Alvarez and former Minnesota United midfielder Emanuel Reynoso.
Santos Laguna: Once one of the top teams in Mexico, Santos Laguna is in a bit of a rough patch. They missed the playoffs in each of the last two tournaments and are currently sitting last in the 18-team league with zero points through six matches. The current roster is pretty young but their leading scorer is 31-year-old Anthony Lozano, who has four goals in 18 matches.
