The second day of the 2023 Leagues Cup Knockout Rounds has more teams that are trying to make a place for themselves in the Round of 16.
On the first day of the 2023 Leagues Cup Knockout Rounds, there is a clash with rivals between Inter Miami and Orlando City, along with two teams that did not have to compete in the Group Stages. Day two of the knockout rounds should also be exciting, with two more MLS rival matches and a battle of Liga MX teams. So let's go immediately and see what Day Two has in store for the soccer world.
Philadelphia United vs. D.C. United, Aug. 3, 8:00 p.m. ET, Subaru Park
These two teams are no strangers to each other. Both teams play in the Eastern Conference of the MLS and have had their fair share of meetings. Philadelphia and D.C. United have met 37 times, where Philadelphia has won 20 matches, while D.C. United has won 11 and 6 draws.
D.C. United is coming in as the East 2 runner-up, where they could only get three points. In the first game of the Group Stages, they kept Montreal from scoring and beat them 1-0. The second game was a different story for D.C. United. There was no chance when the Black-and-Red faced Pumas UNAM, losing 3-0.
Philadelphia ran all over the competition in the East 1, coming out as the winner and gaining all six possible points. The first match saw Philadelphia Union beat Tijuana 3-1, followed up by beating Queretaro in the second match, 5-1.
Yes D.C. United are winless in the last three meetings against Philadelphia and have also failed to score in any of them. Philadelphia's midfielder Daniel Gazdag has been on the lucky side, scoring four goals in the Leagues Cup, including a hat trick against Queretaro, where D.C. had only been able to keep one clean sheet against any team in the last six matches played across all competitions.
The prediction for this match is Philadelphia 3 and D.C. United 1.
NY Red Bulls vs. NYCFC, Aug. 3, 8:00 p.m. ET, Red Bull Arena
It is time for the Hudson River derby rivals, where you will have NY Red Bull taking on NYCFC. Anyone watching the MLS will know that these two teams know each other very well. These two teams have seen each other 25 times, with the Red Bulls winning 14 matches and NYCFC winning eight, causing three draws.
The NY Red Bulls won the East 4 group with five points. The first match came to a scoreless draw, but the Red Bulls came out as the victor with a 4-2 penalty kick win. The second game didn't need those extra kicks, where they were able to bring down San Luis, 2-1, with a 92nd-minute goal by Dante Vanzeir.
NYCFC was the East 3 runner-up with three points. NYCFC was kept out of the goal in their first match again Atlas, losing 1-0, but made sure to come back very strong against Toronto FC, winning 5-0. NYCFC has been going through a rough patch, but that big win against Toronto FC might be the push they need.
When it comes to rival matches, they are always hard to predict. Rival competitions always bring out the best in the players, but with the Red Bulls having the better record between these two clubs, it should be an easy choice, but NYCFC will not go down without a fight in this one.
The prediction for this match is NY Red Bulls 1 and NYCFC 1, with Red Bulls winning in penalty kicks 2-1.
Pumas UNAM vs. Queretaro, Aug. 3, 8:00 p.m. ET, Audi Field
Now it is time for the battle of Liga MX teams. These two teams have faced each other 35 times, with both sides winning 12 matches. They have secured two wins and two draws in the last six games between these two clubs.
Pumas UNAM finished at the top of the East 2 group with four points. It was not looking suitable for Pumas UNAM when they ended in a 2-2 draw with CF Montreal and then lost 4-2 in penalty kicks. Pumas UNAM was able to recover when they faced D.C. United and beat them 3-0 to move on to the knockout round.
Queretaro finished as the runner-up in the East 1 with three points. Queretaro, just like Pumas, did not have things going their way when they got beat by Philadelphia Union, 5-1. Queretaro then had to play a match where it is win and get in against Club Tijuana. Queretaro was able to outplay Tijuana and move on to the knockout rounds with a 1-0 win.
Gabriel Fernandez, Pumas Forward, has scored in both of the team's Group Stage matches and is looking to net his third goal this tournament, whereas Queretaro has been able to score in all four of their competitive matches this season, including the Leagues Cup. Even though these two teams are pretty even, Pumas may be the better team coming into this match.
The prediction of this match is Pumas 2 and Queretaro 1.
NE Revolution vs. Atlas, Aug. 3, 8:00 p.m. ET, Gillette Stadium
NE Revolution and Atlas come into this match, only meeting for the second time. The first and only time these teams met was back in the 2009-10 North American SuperLiga, where the Revolution got the better of Atlas 1-0.
Atlas came into the Leagues Cup with a record of 1-1-1 in Liga MX but came out on top in the East 3 group with six points. Both games that Atlas played in the Leagues Cup came to a 1-0 score line, and both goals came within the first ten minutes of play. Atlas's Aldo Rocha scored in the seventh minute against NYCFC, and Jordy Caicedo scored in the second minute against Toronto FC.
NE Revolution finished as the runner-up in the East 4 standings with four points. The Revolution started slow, coming to a 0-0 draw against the NY Red Bulls, but then got beat 4-2 in penalty kicks. NE Revolution found its fighting power and bounced back in a big way against San Luis, winning 5-1.
Atlas has played seven times against American teams but has only won two of those matches. This is something for the Revolution to think about. Atlas will likely try to score first and early like they have done in the last two matches of the Leagues Cup, but that will not stop New England. New England will look to pressure and score as much as they can and could be a difficult team for Atlas.
The prediction for this match is New England 2 and Atlas 1.
Charlotte FC vs. Cruz Azul, Aug. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET, Toyota Stadium
The match will be the first meeting of these two clubs. Charlotte is playing against a Mexican club only for the second time, whereas they won 4-1 against Necaxa the first time. This will be Cruz Azul's 15th match against an American team where they have won nine and lost five, with no draws.
Charlotte FC finished at the top of the South 4 group with five points. The first game says both Charlotte and FC Dallas came to a 2-2 draw, but Charlotte became the victor with a 4-1 penalty kick win. Charlotte then rolled over Necaxa with a 4-1 victory to secure their spot in the knockout stage.
Cruz Azul was able to squeeze into the Knockout round. Cruz Azul was taken down by Inter Miami 2-1 because of a free-kick that Lionel Messi scored in stoppage time. The second match was even more stressful for Cruz Azul, where they took Atlanta United to a 1-1 draw and then pulled out a very tense 5-4 penalty kick win.
Charlotte has scored six goals during this Leagues Cup, whereas Cruz Azul has only been able to score twice. This might give Cruz Azul a lot of trouble when they step on the pitch against Charlotte FC. Even though Cruz Azul has a decent record against American teams, Charlotte might be too much to handle.
The prediction for this match is Charlotte 3 and Cruz Azul 1.
Real Salt Lake vs. Club Leon, Aug. 3, 10:30 p.m. ET, American First Field
The match will be the first meeting between the MLS and Liga MX teams. In the last ten games, both teams have won six matches, where Club Leon has lost three and drew one, and Real Salt Lake has lost one and drew three.
Real Salt Lake was the runner-up in the West 2 group with three points. Real Salt Lake started to show that they might be a team to watch out for in the group stage when they beat the Seattle Sounders 3-0. That was until they came up to Monterrey. Monterrey handed a loss to Real Salt Lake on a silver platter with a score of 3-0.
Club Leon was the winner of the West 3 group with five points. Club Leon showed that they are a team that can stand with any team that they are put up against. That was after the first match when Club Leon held Vancouver FC to a 2-2 draw and then went into a lengthy penalty kick—finally coming out as the victor when Vancouver FC placed a shot off the post and stayed out, giving Club Leon the win 16-15. After plane issues, which delayed the Club Leon and LA Galaxy match, Club Leon went to Carson, CA, and beat the LA Galaxy 1-0.
Club Leon has shown they can hang on to a game, even if that team can run around them. Will that be enough when they come to face Real Salt Lake?
The prediction for this match is Real Salt Lake 1 and Club Leon 0
