The Seattle Sounders are hosting Liga MX’s Cruz Azul on Thursday on Matchday 1 of the 2025 Leagues Cup. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (TICKETS).
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FS1, UniMás and TUDN. It will also be available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and Apple TV+.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
LEAGUES CUP FORMAT: The 2025 Leagues Cup features all 18 Liga MX teams and the top 18 qualifying clubs from MLS. Teams are divided into Eastern and Western regions and grouped into tiers based on 2024 league performance. Each club will play three group stage matches against teams from the opposing league with no draws allowed. Matches that end with the score level go straight to penalty shootouts with both teams receiving a point and the winner of the shootout receiving an additional point. The top four clubs from each league will advance to the Knockout Rounds beginning with the quarterfinals. From there, it’s a single-elimination sprint to the Leagues Cup Final on Aug. 31.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: In addition to continental bragging rights, the top three finishers from Leagues Cup will secure automatic bids to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. The champion will receive a direct spot in the Round of 16.
Leagues Cup 2025
The battle for North America is back and it’s bigger than ever.
This summer, 36 of the best — all 18 clubs from Liga MX and the top 18 qualifying teams from MLS — will clash for regional supremacy, with the top three finishers punching their ticket to the Concacaf Champions Cup.
ABOUT CRUZ AZUL: Cruz Azul was founded in 1927 and is located in Mexico City. They are tied with Club América as the most successful clubs in Concacaf history, having won seven Concacaf Champions Cup titles. La Máquina is fresh off its 2025 CCC victory after blowing out the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 in the tournament’s final on June 1 to earn its first continental crown since 2014.
CURRENT FORM: Cruz Azul are fifth in the early 2025-26 Liga MX Apertura table with five points from three matches (1-0-2).
RECENT HISTORY: This will be the third meeting of the year between the Sounders and Cruz Azul, who met for a home-and-home series in the Round of 16 of the aforementioned Concacaf Champions Cup back in March. Cruz Azul advanced 4-1 on aggregate following a scoreless draw in Leg One at Lumen Field before the posting what became the winning score line in Leg Two in Mexico City a week later.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
- Ángel Sepúlveda, F: Even at the 34 years old, Sepúlveda is showing no signs of slowing down. After finishing as the Concacaf Champions Cup’s top goalscorer with nine, he has four goals in three matches to open the Apertura season, tied for the most in Liga MX. He also scored from the penalty spot against the Sounders in their Leg Two match in the CCC.
- José Paradela, M: Cruz Azul made a huge splash earlier this month when they acquired Paradela in an eight-figure deal from fellow Mexican side Club Necaxa. The 26-year-old Argentine has come good on the transfer, recording three goals in his first three league contests, which is tied for the most in Liga MX.
- Willer Ditta, D: The 28-year-old Colombian center back has been a stalwart on the back line since he joined Cruz Azul in 2023 from Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys. Ditta has two caps with the Colombian national team and was a Best XI performer in Cruz Azul’s CCC-winning campaign.
