Nashville SC lead four MLS clubs into the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals before a Walmart Saturday Showdown matchup.
Four Clubs Look to Draw on Leagues Cup Success for Concacaf Champions Cup
Leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals kicks off tomorrow and the four MLS clubs – Nashville SC, LAFC, LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders FC – look to use past success in Leagues Cup to take down LIGA MX giants.
Nashville SC is one of the hottest teams in MLS and face a Club América team that they previously defeated in 2022 and 2023 editions of Leagues Cup. For the reigning Leagues Cup champion Seattle Sounders, they will look to draw on the fact they defeated four different LIGA MX teams last year and also took down their opponents Tigres in the 2021 version of the competition.
Out in Los Angeles, both the Galaxy and LAFC have had strong showings against Mexican competition. In the last two years, LAFC is 3-0-2 against LIGA MX competition and now face Cruz Azul for the first time since a Champions Cup quarterfinal win in 2020. During their run to a third-place Leagues Cup finish last year, the Galaxy went 3-0-1 versus Mexican sides and now turn their attention to taking down Toluca.
The first legs in all four MLS-LIGA MX matchups kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday, with coverage on both FS2 and TUDN.
LAFC on a Historic Start to Kick Off the Marc Dos Santos Era
The Marc Dos Santos era with LAFC is not just off to a good start, but a historic one. With a lockdown defense and some of the best attackers in the league, the Black and Gold are the early Supporters’ Shield leaders in the clubhouse.
Under Dos Santos, LAFC is the first team in MLS history not to concede a goal in the opening six games of a season, and they are yet to lose a game across all competitions to start the season (8-0-2). Matchday 6 punctuated the beginning to 2026 with a dominant 6-0 victory over Orlando City SC, which included Denis Bouanga scoring a hat trick in the first 28 minutes.
The hot start to the year will be tested this week as they host Cruz Azul in Concacaf Champions Cup action on Tuesday before traveling to face the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV and FOX).
Electric Espinoza Adds New Rhythm to Music City
What did Nashville SC do after setting club records in 2025 and taking home their first trophy? Go out and sign one of the most underrated MLS creators of the 2020s, Cristian Espinoza. The results so far have been electric and will be tested against Charlotte FC on Walmart Saturday Showdown (7:30 p.m. ET).
Only seven active players have more than 120 career goal contributions and two of them now play for Nashville (Hany Mukhtar, 145) after the club signed Espinoza (124) in free agency as a Designated Player. The Argentine winger has been a model of consistency since entering the league, producing at least eight assists in each of his seven seasons. That’s continued with Nashville as he has five goal contributions, including two game-winning goals and a game-winning assist.
The vibes in Music City have never been louder with Espinoza in the fold and Nashville is a serious contender for a trophy in all three competitions this year – MLS, Concacaf Champions Cup, and Leagues Cup.
MLS Is the Most Diverse and Youthful League in North America
Earlier today, MLS released its World Player Map, highlighting the league as the most diverse and youthful player pool of the top men’s professional sports leagues across North America.
Following the close of the Primary Transfer Window, MLS has 78 different countries of birth represented, marking the fifth-straight year with at least 75 countries in the league. The average age of players on MLS roster is 25.80 which is the youngest among top North American professional sports ahead of the NBA (26.54).
Emphasizing the league’s youth, more than 170 players aged 22 or younger have already appeared in at least one match during the 2026 season. More information on the World Player Map can be found here.
