NYCFC vs Club Santos Laguna preview: It is time for the 2026 Leagues Cup

New York City FC is back in the Leagues Cup as the team will play their first match of Phase One. Like last season, only the top four teams from each league will move on beyond the first round, so it will be extremely difficult for the Pigeons to move on. And while they did not do as well as they would have liked last year, it is possible that the team might not give their all in this year’s edition due to the injuries.

However, they should at least win their first game, which will be against Club Santos Laguna, S.A. de C.V., from Liga MX. The team has struggled in league play over the last few years. They are currently winless in this season’s edition of the Apertura, which has only been three games.

Even if Pascal Jansen decides to go for it in the Leagues Cup, fans should expect heavy rotation and a few of the bench players to feature. They play again on Sunday, so the match against Santos makes sense to play some of the younger players. Whether that happens, well, fans will have to wait and see.

No matter what, it would be ideal for the team to at least play well. Here is a preview of NYCFC’s first Leagues Cup game of 2026.

NYCFC vs Santos preview

Date

NYCFC and Club Santos will face one another on Thursday, April 6.

Time

The fixture will start at 7:30 PM.

Location

The match will be in Harrison, NJ at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

How to watch

Supporters can watch the game on Apple TV.

Weather

It will be a warm day in New Jersey, with temperatures around the start of the game being 87 degrees. There will be a small chance of rain or even a thunderstorm, but if it is dry, then it will be mostly cloudy. With a dew point of around 75, the humidity will range from 65% to 70%.

Injury report

It is unknown whether there will be an injury report. However, it is expected that Drew Baiera (leg), Arnau Farnós (leg), Raul Gustavo (leg), Mac Learned (leg), Alonso Martínez (leg), Thiago Martins (leg), Maxi Moralez (leg), Aiden O’Neill (leg), and Kai Trewin (leg) are unavailable. Per Glenn Crooks, Kevin O’Toole and Keaton Parks are back in training, making them questionable.

Players to watch

Martins has a slight hamstring injury, so that means that the backline will require James Sands’ presence. Hence, NYCFC fans should expect Jonathan Shore to play in the defensive midfield. He has not been perfect there over the last couple of games, but the team will need him to be at his best. Perhaps Jansen should have him a little higher up the pitch, for the way he got into the attack despite his defensive struggles has been impressive. Of course, Shore can play there, and has proven himself last season and even this year.

Fans should also watch Ramiro Sordo on Santos. The winger has always had a lot of potential, but never lived up to what was expected of him. He can still be a threat, though, in the attack, so the diminished Pigeon defense will be vulnerable.

Prediction

Listen, fans should not expect much in the Leagues Cup. But they should beat Santos. Hence, the prediction is that the Boys in Blue will win 2-1. Malachi Jones will star in this game, while Hannes Wolf should see more minutes than he has. NYCFC’s lone goal allowed will be because of a defensive error.

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