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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Leagues Cup 2023 Group Stage Matches to Kick off in Primetime

April 27, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


NEW YORK AND MEXICO CITY - Leagues Cup today announced kick-off times for all Group Stage matches. Games will have the majority of official starting times between 7 p.m. and 1030pm. Eastern Time, giving fans the opportunity to enjoy the games under the lights.

Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch all 77 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, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for 15 group stage matches in the United States and Canada.

Beginning this year, Major League Soccer and LIGA MX will pause their respective league seasons in the summer and compete in Leagues Cup, an official Concacaf competition to be played across the U.S. and Canada. The inaugural edition will see all 47 clubs (18 from LIGA MX, 29 from MLS) compete in a World Cup-style tournament from July 21 - August 19, 2023. The champion and the second and third-place finishers will qualify for the Concacaf Champions League and have an opportunity to earn a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Leagues Cup Group Stage kicks off on Friday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET between two MLS clubs, Orlando City SC facing Houston Dynamo at Exploria Stadium, followed by LIGA MX's Cruz Azul against Inter Miami CF (8 p.m. ET) at DRV PNK Stadium, the first in the highly anticipated series of matchups between the two leagues. Also on opening night, FC Dallas receives Charlotte FC at Toyota Stadium (8:30 p.m. ET), Austin FC battles Mazatlan FC at Q2 Stadium (10 p.m. ET), and Leon takes on Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place (10:30 p.m. ET).

Leagues Cup Group Stage closes out Monday, July 31 with four intra-league matches, starting at 8 pm ET between Club America and Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field and rounding out at Children's Mercy Park between Chivas Guadalajara and Sporting KC (10 p.m. ET)

The complete Leagues Cup 2023 schedule along with broadcast network assignments can be found here. The complete details on the Leagues Cup format can be viewed here.

Advancing teams will compete in the single-game elimination knockout rounds, beginning with the round of 32 on August 2-4 (16 matches), followed by the round of 16 on August 6-8 (eight matches). The eight advancing teams will compete in the quarterfinals from August 11-12 (four matches) before the two semifinal matches on August 15.

The Leagues Cup 2023 final and third-place games will be played on Saturday, August 19 and determine the three clubs that will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions League. The game times and broadcast assignments for the elimination rounds and finals will be announced once the qualifiers are known.

Leagues Cup 2023 Schedule Highlights

Real Salt Lake Seek Revenge Twelve Years Later: Twelve years since they last took the field, Real Salt Lake will face Club de Futbol Monterrey on Wednesday, July 26, 930 p.m. ET, in a rematch of the 2011 Concacaf Champions League Final. RSL secured a 2-2 tie in the first leg of the series, but Monterrey, thanks to a goal by Humberto Suazo, took the title with a 1-0 upset in Salt Lake. Victor Manuel Vucetich was the coach for Monterrey then and returned to the club in 2022.

MLS and LIGA MX Club Face Off in 2022 Rematches: July 23 will set the stage for a 2022 Campeones Cup rematch between New York City FC and Atlas FC 7pm E.T, at Citi Field. In New York's 2-0 victory, current NYCFC starting goalkeeper Luis Barraza earned the Man of the Match award and will look to shut down Atlas once more. After playing in the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase, FC Cincinnati and Club Deportivo Guadalajara square off again on July 27, 8 p.m. ET. Led by U.S. Men's National Team forward Brandon Vázquez, Cincinnati recorded a 3-1 victory versus ChivasGuadalajara at TQL Stadium last year.

Coach and Player Connections Resurface in Leagues Cup Showdowns: July 31, 10 p.m. ET at Children's Mercy Park, Sporting Kansas City forward Alan Pulido will battle against his old squad Chivas Guadalajara, where he was named MVP of the 2017 LIGA MX Clausura tournament, which Chivas won. Additionally, Chicago Fire FC and Club Puebla both claim National Soccer Hall of Famer DaMarcus Beasley as one of their own, having played in over 90 games for each club, their clash will be 7:30 p.m. CT on July 31 at SeatGeek Stadium. The match will be Chicago's second encounter of the tournament, having faced Minnesota United FC at 7:30 p.m. CT on July 27 at Allianz Field. Finally, Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda meets Cruz Azul in the South region on July 29 (8 p.m. ET) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as the Five Stripes head coach suited up for La Máquina from 2010-11.

Ticket Information

Tickets for all matches are available on LeaguesCup.com and are also available to fans via the hosting MLS club. MLS club season ticket holders should contact their club representative for more information or visit LeaguesCup.com and follow @LeaguesCup on social.

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