NYCFC is moving on to the Round of 32 in the Leagues Cup

New York City FC punched their ticket to the Round of 32 of the Leagues Cup without even stepping foot on the pitch Thursday night. With FC Cincinnati beating Querétaro F.C. 1-0, the Pigeons earned a spot in the next round after their thrilling victory over them Sunday night.   

The Boys in Blue would love to add another trophy to their cabinet, with three so far in their young history. However, the Leagues Cup is not as easy as it seems with 47 teams competing in just a few weeks. Not to mention that the MLS schedule forced the players to play in back-to-back weekday and weekend games just to make time for the tournament.  

What are NYCFC’s chances of taking home the Leagues Cup trophy? Let's break it down.

What are NYCFC’s chances of winning the 2024 Leagues Cup?  

How the Leagues Cup works

The new format of the Leagues Cup was introduced last season as an effort to combine both MLS and Liga MX teams into one big tournament. Therefore, 45 teams are played into 15 groups of three, with two teams receiving byes.

The top two teams of each group punch their ticket into the Round of 32, while the last place team goes home. Only two teams can bypass the group stage and enter right into the knockout round, which are the 2023 MLS Cup winners, the Columbus Crew, and the Liga MX team who had the most points across both the Clausura and Apertura 2023, Club América.

The 2023 winner of the Leagues Cup was Inter Miami CF after Lionel Messi put on a show during his debut season. The winner of the tournament is granted a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16, while second and third place are granted qualification to the group stage.   

How did NYCFC do last season?

NYCFC kicked off the 2023 Leagues Cup with a disappointing result to Atlas F.C., the team that they beat during the 2022 Campeones Cup. However, the Pigeons were able to find their scoring way while looking like one of the stronger sides after a dominating 5-0 victory over Toronto FC.   

This prepared them for the first Hudson River Derby at the Leagues Cup in Harrison, New Jersey. Because the match was on a Thursday night in Jersey, only about 11,000 showed up. This resulted in a 1-0 loss, ending their run at the Round of 32. All their goals came in the Toronto game, with Santiago Rodríguez scoring a brace and Mounsef Bakrar also getting a goal as well. 

Does NYCFC have the potential to make a solid run?

NYCFC has improved their form from 2023. The team sits in fifth place in MLS. The chemistry has improved, while off-season acquisitions have helped the team's depth.  

The match with Querétaro was a promising result, despite a 0-0 score after 90 minutes. Rodríguez, Hannes Wolf, and Keaton Parks were unavailable as they were given an extra week to rest. Despite key players missing, they still maintained about 66 percent of the possession, with 19 shots with six on target.

Before heading into the knockout round, they will have to finish off the group stage match against Cincinnati. They have not been able to beat the team in the last five MLS contests, taking a hard 1-0 loss to them earlier in the season.   

This will be one of their toughest opponents of the entire tournament, with that game being pivotal to seeing their worth in the competition. If Rodríguez and Wolf return to top form, then NYCFC has a solid chance for a run in the Leagues Cup, with NYCFC’s depth one of the best in the league.   

Who are other teams to look out for in the Leagues Cup?

Besides Cincinnati, Inter Miami has been one of the best teams in the tournament so far. Despite being without Messi, they continue to dominate with the likes of Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez, and Jordi Alba.  

Tigres UANL is another team to look out for, who are in the same group as Inter Miami. They are led by Sebastián Córdova and Nicolás Ibáñez. LAFC, the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, and C.F. Monterrey are in the mix with strong squads in the tournament.  

Despite a slow start, Cruz Azul is in the mix after making it to the Clausura 2024 Liga MX final phase finals. Then there is of course Columbus Crew and Club América, who are the one and two seeds after being the best teams in their perspective leagues.

NYCFC could face some of these teams if they move on in the tournament. Fans should pay attention to these stronger sides.