LAFC vs. Club Tijuana - 2024 Leagues Cup
Friday, July 26 at 8pm PT
Location: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA 🏟
Radio: ESPN LA App📱, 710 AM ESPN, KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera 📻
Following a decisive 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Saturday night, LAFC now turns its focus to Liga MX side Club Tijuana, the Black & Gold’s opponent in its opening match of the 2024 Leagues Cup Group Stage on Friday, July 26, at BMO Stadium.
Leagues Cup 2024 Is Here - LAFC kicks off the annual MLS vs. Liga MX clash on Friday
The road victory in Seattle kept LAFC (14W-5L-5D) in second place in the Western Conference standings with 47 points from 24 matches as it heads into the 2024 Leagues Cup break. Friday’s match marks LAFC's debut in the Leagues Cup Group Stage, having secured automatic qualification to the Round of 32 last year, by winning the 2022 MLS Cup. Following impressive wins in the Round of 32 and Round of 16 in 2023, the Black & Gold were eliminated in the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals by Mexican side C.F. Monterrey at the Rose Bowl by a score of 3-2.
Xolos In Depth:
Club Tijuana, founded in 2007, enters the 2024 Leagues Cup seeking redemption following a disappointing performance in last year’s tournament, when it finished last in its group with losses to Philadelphia Union and Querétaro F.C. Los Xolos scored just one goal in those two matches.
In the ongoing 2024 Liga MX Apertura season, Xolos currently occupy eighth place with seven points from four matches played. Their season started with victories over Querétaro F.C and C.D. Guadalajara, but since then Tijuana has struggled, with losses to Cruz Azul (3-0) and a draw against Atlético de San Luis (1-1) in their most recent outings.
Led by former Mexico national team head coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, Club Tijuana aims to reverse their recent setbacks, having missed out on the Liga MX postseason every year since the 2019 Clausura season.
Xolos’ attack is led by Raúl Zúñiga (two goals) and Domingo Blanco (two goals), who have accounted for four of the team’s six goals this season.
The Black & Gold Can Win If:
It can get on the scoresheet first against a Tijuana side that is winless in its last two matches on the road, conceding the first goal in both games. Keeping Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz involved is crucial; LAFC has failed to win its last two home games (vs. Columbus and vs. RSL) in which Bouanga and Bogusz haven't contributed a goal or assist. The duo has been responsible for 29 out of LAFC's 48 goals in MLS matches. Following the match in Seattle, Bogusz has now contributed to 15 goals (10 goals and five assists) in his last 13 MLS games, during which LAFC has recorded an impressive 10-1-2 record.
Xolos Can Win If:
It finds a way to shut down LAFC’s attack. LAFC has scored 57 goals across all competitions in 2024, while conceding only 32. Xolos will need production from Paraguayan international Carlos González, who has yet to score this season after netting 13 goals in the Clausura and Apertura seasons of 2023-2024.
