Defending Leagues Cup champions Inter Miami CF host Toronto FC on Thursday night for a spot in the Round of 16, where the winner of Columbus Crew vs. Sporting Kansas City awaits.
This World Cup-style tournament features 47 clubs – 18 from LIGA MX and 29 from MLS – pausing their domestic season for the month-long competition. The winner is crowned champion, and the top three finishers qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Round of 32, which runs from August 7-9, begins the single-elimination portion of the competition.
Last year's Leagues Cup winners have hosting privileges in the Round of 32 after kicking off their title defense with a 2-0 win over Puebla, followed by a 2-1 loss to Tigres UANL in their group-stage finale.
Even without the injured Lionel Messi, the Herons still have ample firepower and have gotten goals in the tournament from Matías Rojas, Luis Suárez and Leonardo Campana.
One of the bigger surprises of Leagues Cup, Toronto FC are riding serious momentum after topping East 6 with a PK shootout win over the New York Red Bulls and a 2-1 upset of Concacaf Champions Cup winners CF Pachuca.
Sunday's victory over Los Tuzos was especially noteworthy for the Reds, who delivered a statement performance against one of the region's top clubs as they look to stun yet another favorite in the knockout stages.
Can John Herdman's side keep the momentum going at the Supporters' Shield leaders? With Italian superstars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi firing on all cylinders, and homegrowns like Kobe Franklin also contributing, there's reason for optimism.
However, Herdman has also stressed humility, noting Toronto fell 3-1 at Miami less than a month ago in MLS action.
Inter Miami CF are about to face one of the biggest challenges of the season. Next Thursday, August 8, the team hosts Toronto FC in the round of 16 of the 2024 Leagues Cup, in a match that promises a lot of emotion and tension. The match will take place at Chase Stadium and expectations are high, both for the fans and the players.
After a group stage marked by ups and downs, with a win against Club Puebla and a loss against Tigres, Inter Miami secured second place in East Group 3. This performance, although mixed, brought some historic moments for the club. Striker Leonardo Campana made history by tying Gonzalo Higuaín as the club's all-time leading scorer with 29 goals in all competitions. This feat, achieved in 89 games, highlights Campana's importance to the team and raises expectations about his performance in upcoming matches.
The 2024 Leagues Cup is no ordinary competition. As well as the prestige and the title, it offers the chance to qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, which could lead to the team representing the region at the FIFA Club World Cup. So every game is a crucial battle.
The match against Toronto FC is seen as a rematch, as the teams recently met in the MLS regular season, with Inter Miami coming out victorious 3-1. However, the circumstances are different now. Toronto FC are coming off a strong group stage, with a win and a draw, and are determined to advance in the competition.
Midfielders Benjamin Cremaschi and Diego Gómez, who recently took part in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, will be available for the game. The international experience of these players could be an important differentiator in the match against Toronto FC.
Toronto FC, for their part, will be confident after securing their place in the Round of 16 by beating CF Pachuca 2-1. They know the match against Inter Miami won't be easy, but they're ready for the challenge.
One point to watch is the players' physical and mental fitness. After an intense group stage, wear and tear could be a decisive factor. The winner of this clash will advance to face the winner of the match between Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City in the quarter-finals. So there's a lot at stake, not just progress in the competition, but also the chance to play for a title and secure a place in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Toronto have a chance to dethrone the Leagues Cup champions Inter Miami when the two sides clash in the round of 32 on Thursday at Chase Stadium.
Despite missing their star talisman and captain, Lionel Messi, Miami were able to advance beyond the group stage of this tournament for a second successive campaign.
Last week, however, the Herons suffered their first-ever defeat at the Leagues Cup, ending an eight-match unbeaten run in this tournament.
It also ended a three-match winning run for them in all competitions, with their previous two defeats occurring away from home.
Tata Martino's men will be happy to return to Chase Stadium, where they are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions.
Thursday will be the first time they face a Canadian opponent at this tournament, and the Herons are a perfect 5-0 at home against Toronto in MLS.
Overall, the domestic campaign has been a bumpy ride for TFC, but things are looking up for them with two victories at this tournament.
John Herdman's men are just three points above the Eastern Conference playoff line in MLS, but they have at least a point in four of their last five competitive fixtures.
Toronto only scored two goals in the group stage this year, but it was two more than they managed in this phase a season ago, when the Reds lost their two games by a combined margin of 6-0.
This is the first time they find themselves in a knockout fixture since the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, though there was no group phase on that occasion.
The Reds have not won consecutive matches in normal time since May, when they followed up a 5-1 victory over CF Montreal with an emphatic 8-1 win versus Saint-Laurent in the Canadian Championship.
Although Toronto have never won an away match against Miami they have collected a victory in Florida this season, defeating Orlando City at Inter & Co Stadium 2-1 in late April.
Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias were also sidelined against Tigres because of ACL injuries, with the latter out for the remainder of the season.
A 74th-minute penalty converted by Leonardo Campana put them on level terms for 10 minutes last weekend, the first for the Ecuadorian in the competition.
In their victory over Pachuca, Toronto were missing Alonso Coello, who is still recovering from a thigh issue, Tyrese Spicer was sidelined with a back injury and Brandon Servania will not return this year after rupturing his ACL.
From their first to second group game, Herdman made two changes to his starting 11, with Kosi Thompson and Matty Longstaff replacing Deybi Flores and Prince Owusu.
Derrick Etienne scored a minute before the interval last Sunday, while Kobe Franklin netted the winner 12 minutes from the end to secure all three points.
While Messi's presence can make a massive difference, Miami are not a one-trick pony, and we believe they will find a way to edge past Toronto without their captain like they have several times in 2024.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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