Leagues Cup: MLS shows its strength once again against Liga MX

The MLS continues to flex its muscles against Liga MX in the Leagues Cup. Of the six matches played on Thursday as part of the tournament's opening round, U.S. teams won four, with América and Cruz Azul saving Mexico's honor with their victories over San Diego FC and Philadelphia Union. After three days of play, the MLS has 11 wins to Liga Azteca's seven.

A stellar performance by Uruguayan Brian Rodríguez led América to a 3-1 victory over San Diego FC on Thursday, while Cruz Azul also stood up for Mexico in the Leagues Cup by defeating the Philadelphia Union 1-0.

Las Águilas del América, leaders of the Mexican league, took advantage of their home field at Estadio Azteca to secure a 3-1 victory over San Diego.

"Brian played very well, but without taking anything away from his performance, for me the best player of the match was Alan [Cervantes, midfielder] because he had a great game, distributing the ball and holding the midfield. He's a great player who needs more playing time," said Guillermo Almada, América's coach.

"El Rayito" Rodríguez scored the 1-0 goal in spectacular fashion in the 11th minute following a solo run. Later, the Uruguayan World Cup veteran provided a couple of assists for Erick Sánchez (33') and Isaías Violante (45'+2) to extend América's lead to 3-0. Luca Bombino (63') scored a consolation goal for the California team.

The Mexican champion struggled to defeat Philadelphia

At Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, Cruz Azul, the reigning Mexican soccer champion, defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0.

This was the first victory for the Celestes in regulation time since 2023, when the current Leagues Cup format was established. "These were three very important points for us, and, above all, we now have our first-ever win in the Leagues Cup," said Joel Huiqui, Cruz Azul's head coach.

La Máquina Cementera set the tone for victory as early as the 3rd minute with a left-footed shot that Argentine José Paradela fired from the edge of the box to beat goalkeeper Andrew Rick.

Abreu's Tijuana stumbles in Austin

Tijuana, coached by Uruguayan Sebastián Abreu and currently second in the Mexican league, suffered a 2-0 loss on the road to Austin FC. Honduran Joseph Rosales (16') and Irishman Jon Gallagher (45'+2) secured the victory for the Texan side.

In addition, New York City took advantage of Santos's slump to defeat them 2-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. The Santos Guerreros, led by Portuguese coach Renato Paiva, extended their losing streak to three consecutive losses in the Mexican league.

Portland earns the day's biggest win

The most one-sided match of the day took place at Providence Park, where the Portland Timbers routed Puebla 5-2. The Timbers secured all three points with two braces: the first came from Costa Rican Ariel Lassiter (5', 56') and the second from Cole Bassett (36', 45'+3). Portuguese player David da Costa (38') rounded out the five-goal haul.

Puebla pulled one back with goals from Eduardo Mustre (14') and Uruguayan Emiliano Gómez (80').

Chicago Fire: Pure efficiency against Necaxa

At SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., the Chicago Fire had less possession but was more decisive and defeated Necaxa 2-0.

The Fire penetrated Necaxa's defense down the left side of the box, and following a play that included a backheel pass from left back Andrew Guttman, they took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jonathan Dean (31'). Guttman joined the attack and sealed the 2-0 victory (69') with a tap-in at the edge of the six-yard box. The play resulted from a counterattack that began deep in the opponent's half.