The last day of the 2023 Leagues Cup Round of 16 is here, and it was a good one. There was a lot of action that brought on penalty shootouts, close matches, red cards, and then one blowout match. If you are a soccer fan, this was the day you wanted to watch the Round of 16.
Five matches were played in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Leagues Cup, and every match had their team fans sitting on the edge to see if their team would make it to the quarter-finals, except for one match that just ran away with the contest and never looked back. Let's head into the results and see if your team could pull it out and move on.
Toluca vs. Minnesota
Toluca and Minnesota match was one-sided, but you would have never known that if you looked at the final scoreline. Toluca outplayed Minnesota in every category they have; possession; 70 percent to 30 percent; shots; 29-7; shots on goal; 6-3; both teams gained three yellow cards, where Minnesota got a red card in the 73rd minute.
Minnesota took a speedy lead before halftime, with Joesph Rosales scoring in the 13th minute and Bongokuhle scoring in the 32nd minute. This gave Minnesota the 2-0 lead going into halftime.
Toluca would not stop doing everything they were doing in the first half. Toluca scored a goal in the 66th minute to bring the score line to 2-1. That would all change in the match when Minnesota's Hassani Dotson jumped and elbowed Toluca's player in the face. This play was reviewed, and a red card was handed out to Dotson. The Toluca's goalkeeper, Tiago Volpi, came in for the penalty shot and scored it in the 75th minute, bringing the score even 2-2.
The match ended in a 2-2 deadlock and came to a penalty shootout. Toluca was given a chance to kick first and scored a goal in the 1st and 3rd rounds, but missing their shots in the 2nd and 4th. Minnesota was able to convert on all four of their penalty shots bringing the final score line to 2-2 (2-4 penalty kicks). This allows Minnesota to move on to the quarter-finals.
Philadelphia vs. NY Red Bulls
This was another match-up where everything looked very one-sided, but the results would tell you a different story. Philadelphia led in all categories, possession; 57 percent to 43 percent; shots; 19-6; and shots on goal; 5-1. Five yellow cards were handed out, four to Philadelphia and one to the Red Bulls.
The NY Red Bulls started the match strongly and struck first in the 4th minute with a goal from Elias Manoel. The Red Bulls then started to play some strong defense, even if Philadelphia kept taking shots. That was until the 68th minute when Philadelphia's Nathan Harriel got a shot on goal and successfully got it into the goal. With that goal, the score was tied 1-1.
The match ended with a 1-1 draw bringing on the second penalty shootout of the night. The NY Red Bulls were given the chance to kick first, where they were able to score goals in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th rounds but missed shots in the 1st and 3rd rounds. Philadelphia took their shots and made all except for the 3rd round. After the penalty shootout, the final score line was 1-1 (4-3 penalty kicks), with Philadelphia moving on.
Club America vs. Nashville
The match-up between Club America and Nashville looked one-sided except for the shots on goal. Club America led the possession; 61 percent to 39 percent, and the shots; 16-10, but both teams were tied for shots on goal with six. Five yellow cards were handed out, three to Nashville and two to Club America.
The first half was more of a defense game where both teams could not score a goal. The first goal came in the 61st minute when Nashville's Walker Zimmerman put the ball in the net and gave Nashville a 1-0 lead. Club America went into attack mode, and in the 78th minute, Diego Valdes Contreras brought the match even to 1-1 with his goal. Both teams started to play a little more defense until a penalty was called in the box on Nashville at the 90+4 minute mark, giving Julian Quinones a penalty shot which he scored, bringing Club America ahead 2-1. Nashville got into panic mode, which helped them because, in the 90+9 minute, Nashville's Sam Surridge scored the tying goal and made it 2-2 at full-time.
The third penalty shot out of the night occurred in this match. Club America was allowed to shoot first and scored all their goals except in the second and 7th rounds. When Nashville was given their chances, they missed their first-round shot but made all the others. This brought the final score line to 2-2 (5-6 penalty kicks), with Nashville being the 3rd MLS team to move on to the quarter-finals.
Tigres UANL vs Monterrey
The match-up between Tigres and Monterrey was the only Liga MX match of the Round of 16, and they made sure it was a good one. Tigres led in the possession category; 55 percent to 45 percent, but Monterrey led in the shots; 16-8, and shots on goal; 6-2. Ten yellow cards were handed out this match, six to Tigres and four to Monterrey, and one red card, which was handed out to Javier Aquino of Tigres in the 90+9 minute.
The match was not a high-scoring one; it wasn't even a very attacking one. The defense had everything to do with this match. The defense was in the right place and at the right time. That was until the match went into stoppage time at the end. In the 90+6 minute, Tigres's Javier Aquino got caused a penalty inside the box, allowing Monterrey to take a free penalty kick. Sergio Canales stepped up and took that shot, getting it past the goalkeeper and into the net.
The match had a lot of fun moments, especially if you are into a low-scoring match with a lot of defense and a crazy finish. Monterrey will move on to the quarter-finals with their penalty kick goal and a 1-0 final scoreline.
LAFC vs. Real Salt Lake
After LAFC's big 7-1 win in the Round of 32, they were looking to keep building on that. The stat line for sure showed that. LAFC led in all categories of this match. Possession was 54 percent to 46 percent, shots; 19-10, and shots on goal; 9-0. Two yellow cards were given, and they both went to LAFC.
LAFC did not let their foot off that gas and did not look tired from their big Round of 32 performance. At halftime, the score was still 0-0, but that would not stop LAFC's Denis Bouanga from doing what he does best to score goals. Denis Bouanga got LAFC on the scoreboard in the 52nd minute and then continued to build that in the 56th minute bringing LAFC in front 2-0. LAFC's Nathan Ordaz wanted to join in and scored a goal in the 62nd minute. LAFC was not done yet when Filip Krastev came up in the 84th minute with his own goal, bringing the lead to 4-0 and a final score line.
LAFC, for the second time in as many rounds, showed why they were the reigning MLS champions and deserved the bye from the Group Stages. Will that motivation and fuel continue as they meet their next opponent in the quarter-finals?
