Sports stats



MLS Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids to Face Club Santos Laguna A.S., Club Tijuana, and Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup 2025

February 11, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - The Colorado Rapids have been drawn with Liga MX sides Club Santos Laguna A.S., Club Tijuana, and Cruz Azul in Phase One of Leagues Cup 2025, Major League Soccer announced today. Colorado will host two matches in Phase One at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park, with Santos coming to Commerce City on July 31 and Tijuana on August 3. The Rapids will then travel to Dignity Health Sports Park on August 7 to face Cruz Azul.

"We're thrilled to participate in the third edition of Leagues Cup, a competition that pits the best teams in North America against one another," said Colorado Rapids President Pádraig Smith. "Our successful run in last year's tournament has only fueled our hunger for more. We're ready to embrace the challenge and compete for the trophy, and just as excited to give our fans more unforgettable nights at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park."

Taking place from July 29 to August 31, Leagues Cup 2025 will be played in the United States and Canada and will decide three qualifiers for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, where the winner will represent the region at FIFA international club competitions. The tournament will debut a new format from previous editions, with 18 Liga MX teams slated to face 18 MLS teams. The top nine MLS teams in each conference in 2024 earned qualification into Leagues Cup 2025 and will only face off against Liga MX sides in their three Phase One matches. More information on tournament changes can be found here.

Santos Laguna and the Rapids have met twice, with the most recent matchup coming in 2013 in an international friendly at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico. Their first meeting took place in 2003 in a preseason friendly in Las Vegas. Founded in 1983, Santos has lifted five Liga MX Clasura trophies, three of which came within the last 15 years. In last year's tournament, Santos advanced to the Round of 32 before being defeated by FC Cincinnati.

Santos Laguna is led by Head Coach Fernando Ortiz. The team is captained by Mexico international goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo and features Honduran National Team forward Anthony "Choco" Lozano, as well as former MLS forward Cristian Dájome (D.C. United).

Club Tijuana was founded in 2007, and in that span, Tijuana won the Liga MX Apertura one time during 2012-2013 season. Tijuana has yet to advance past the Leagues Cup group stage in their two previous attempts. The match in Colorado during Leagues Cup 2025 will mark the first meeting between the two clubs.

Tijuana is led by former Mexico National Team Head Coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who also coached in MLS with the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls. The squad is captained by Colombian midfielder Christian Rivera and features several notable players, including former MLS midfielders Efraín Álvarez (LA Galaxy) and Joe Corona (LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo), as well as former Mexico National Team goalkeeper Jesús Corona.

Founded in 1927, Cruz Azul are six-time Concacaf Champions Cup champions. In Leagues Cup last season, Cruz Azul advanced to the Round of 16 but was eliminated by Mazátlan F.C. The 2025 meeting in LA will mark history as the teams will meet for the first time.

Notably, Cruz Azul's Interim Head Coach, Vicente Sánchez, previously played for the Rapids from 2013 to 2015, making 55 regular-season appearances and recording 11 goals and nine assists. The squad is captained by Uruguayan midfielder Ignacio Rivero and features former MLS players Georgios Giakoumakis (Atlanta United), Mateusz Bogusz (LAFC), and Emmanuel Ochoa (San Jose Earthquakes), as well as Mexico National Team midfielder Carlos "Charly" Rodríguez.

Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch all Leagues Cup matches on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that is available on smart TVs, streaming devices, Apple devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. In addition, TelevisaUnivision's various television networks, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for select matches.

Check out the Colorado Rapids Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from February 11, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central