By Mariana Smithfield

As the Knockout Stage of Leagues Cup 2024 kicks off on Wednesday, the 45 matches of the Group Stage will be remembered for closely contested battles and incredible finishes as 32 teams enter the next phase of the tournament with their title dreams still alive. The 45th and final match of the Group Stage will be played tonight, as the New England Revolution host Nashville SC at Gillette Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / FS1).
Below are some highlights of the Group Stage:

• 30: Thirty of the 44 matches (68.2 percent) in the Group Stage thus far were decided by one goal or less, marking an 11percent increase in close contents from 2023.

• 14: Fourteen Group Stage matches were decided in penalty-kick shootouts this year, a 40 percent increase year-over-year from 2023.

• 20: Twenty MLS clubs have already advanced to the Knockout Stage in 2024 with at least one more guaranteed a spot in the Round of 32, which will mark an increase from 20 clubs that reached the Round of 32 last year.

• 8: Eight clubs that did not reach the Knockout Stage in 2023 advanced to the Round of 32 this year: Austin FC, CF Montréal, Colorado Rapids, St. Louis CITY SC, LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, and Toronto FC.

The Leagues Cup 2024 Round of 32 kicks off on Wednesday, August 7, with a west-coast doubleheader as LAFC hosts Austin FC and Pumas UNAM of LIGA MX travels to take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC. After securing byes to the Round of 32 as their respective leagues’ champions, Columbus Crew and Club América will play their first matches of Leagues Cup 2024 against Sporting Kansas City and Atlas FC, respectively, on Thursday, August 8.

América last faced Atlas in March, winning 5-1, while the Crew look to end a five-game winless streak against Kansas City (0-2-3) on Thursday. Both clubs will enter the knockout rounds off the back of Leagues Cup Showcase wins over English Premier League and UEFA Champions League side Aston Villa, where Cucho Hernández scored a hat trick in the Crew’s 4-1 win.

A clash of LIGA MX giants also awaits in the Leagues Cup 2024 Round of 32, as Tigres UANL and CF Pachuca will see each other on Thursday, August 8, with Pachuca looking to advance beyond the Round of 32 for the first time in Leagues Cup. Tigres will attempt to replicate and better its run to the Round of 16 of Leagues Cup 2023.

With one Group Stage match remaining between the New England Revolution and Nashville SC later tonight to decide the fate of East Group 5 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), there are currently six match ups that will pit LIGA MX sides against their MLS counterparts:

• Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Pumas UNAM, Wednesday, August 7
• San Jose Earthquakes vs. Club Necaxa, Thursday, August 8
• FC Cincinnati vs. Santos Laguna, Friday, August 9
• Houston Dynamo FC vs. Toluca, Friday, August 9
• FC Juárez vs. Colorado Rapids, Friday, August 9
• Orlando City SC vs. Cruz Azul, Friday, August 9

Kellyn Acosta caught up with long-time pal and former USMNT teammate Christian Pulisic at AC Milan v Real Madrid friendly. Instagram

FC Cincinnati forward Sergio Santos commemorates his recent engagement with his goal celebration in Monday’s come-from-behind win over New York City FC. Twitter

(Photo Credit: USA Today Sports / Imagn – Katie Stratman).

Leagues Cup 2024 has delivered surprising results for MLS teams outside of playoff positions heading into the tournament, and their successes in the Group Stage could translate to deep runs in the tournament and fuel a playoff push when MLS regular-season action resumes.

The New England Revolution could return to the Round of 32 with a win, draw, or one-goal loss against Nashville SC in tonight’s final Group Stage game. Homegrown midfielder Jack Panayotou delivered against Mazatlán with his first goal for the Revolution’s first team proving to be the game-winner. The Revolution are unbeaten in regulation time in Leagues Cup (2-0-3), and, by finishing top of the group, would host New York City FC in the Round of 32.

With five different players scoring goals, Austin FC clinched first place in West Group 1 with wins over LIGA MX giants CF Monterrey (2-0) and Pumas UNAM (3-2). Sebastián Driussi recorded a goal and assist against Pumas, and Dani Pereira, fresh off helping Venezuela to the quarterfinals of Copa America, scored the second goal against Monterrey.

D.C. United advanced to the Round of 32 for the second consecutive year after topping East Group 7 with wins over Atlanta United and Santos Laguna. Forward Christian Benteke, who is tied for second in the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race, has two goals in two games, and midfielder Jared Stroud is one of just six players with at least three goal contributions during the Group Stage.

San Jose Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse tallied two goals in tournament play to guide his team to the knockout rounds of Leagues Cup for the first time in club history. San Jose defeated LIGA MX’s Chivas, winning (4-3) on penalties in front of a Leagues Cup-record crowd of 50,675. The Quakes will host Club Necaxa this Thursday, August 8, at PayPal Park.

With the Leagues Cup 2024 bracket nearly complete, tantalizing fixtures are already scheduled for the Round of 32, and potential future matchups in the later rounds pose interesting scenarios for the drama that could unfold throughout the remainder of the tournament.

Two quadrants of the bracket each feature four teams currently in Audi MLS Cup Playoffs positions, with two of them in Seattle Sounders FC and the LA Galaxy going head-to-head in the Round of 32. On the other side of that match awaits the winner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Pumas UNAM, which could set up a rematch of the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup Final between Seattle and Pumas in the Round of 16. For the Galaxy, a Cali Clasico or El Tráfico matchup in the quarterfinals could be in the club’s future as the San Jose Earthquakes and LAFC sit on the opposite side of their quadrant.

Inter Miami CF will face Toronto FC in the other matchup between two sides in MLS playoff positions, and a potential date with the reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champion Columbus Crew awaits the reigning Leagues Cup champion in the Round of 16. The Crew will also have one eye on the teams across the bracket as another meeting with CF Pachuca could be on the cards in the quarterfinals after both sides faced off in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Final.

FC Cincinnati sit on the opposite side of the Crew’s bracket, teasing a potential Hell is Real Derby semifinal, but they will first have to defeat Santos Laguna and surpass a potential Round of 16 matchup against the Philadelphia Union. The connections between Cincinnati and the Union spread across the field, sideline, and front office, but it would be the clubs’ first-ever match against one another in Leagues Cup action should the Union also defeat CF Montréal in the Round of 32.

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