Just like that, the Leagues Cup group stage is over.
We had penalty shootouts, absurd line-breaking passes from Riqui Puig, early looks at new Designated Players, and so much more. Now it’s time for the Round of 32, where the margins get even thinner as MLS and LIGA MX clubs battle for regional superiority.
Which MLS players should you be watching as the knockout stages kick off?
I’ve got you covered.
I’ll tell you what: You don’t have to go too far down the list of the best-ever MLS signings to get to Denis Bouanga.
LAFC’s decision to put pen to paper on Bouanga back in the 2022 summer transfer window was an all-timer. After spending the rest of the 2022 campaign – one in which LAFC collected the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup – bedding in, Bouanga took over last season.
He snagged 17 non-penalty goals and six primary assists in the 2023 regular season, capturing the Golden Boot presented by Audi. In this year’s regular season, the Gabon international has nine non-penalty goals and seven primary assists. He’s taken a slight back seat on the scoring front to become an even better playmaker: Bouanga’s expected assisted goals per 90 minutes have risen from 0.29 last year to 0.35 this year. In the Leagues Cup group stage, Bouanga finished tied for the tournament lead in assists, with three.
Up against an Austin FC team that made their money averaging 25.5% possession (yes, you read that right) across their two group stage games against Pumas UNAM and CF Monterrey, LAFC will need the creative version of Bouanga to show up Wednesday night (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass). Steve Cherundolo will, no doubt, rely on Bouanga’s right foot, vision and uber-skillful dribbling ability to unbalance a compact 4-4-2 block.
Get ready for the Bouanga show, people.
Why pay special attention to Jordi Alba ahead of Inter Miami’s clash with Toronto FC, rather than any of his other high-powered teammates?
Let me explain.
When you’re preparing for a matchup against Toronto, it doesn’t take much time to decipher the game’s most important tactical battle. Spoiler alert: It’s anything and everything happening on Federico Bernardeschi’s side of the field.
John Herdman’s use of Bernardeschi as an inverted right wingback this year has been a big topic of discussion all season. The MLS All-Star has adapted to his role impressively well. He’s defended with more intensity than you would expect (which still isn’t to say he’s defended at a terribly high level) and attacked with more skill and precision than his fellow Italian DP Lorenzo Insigne or any of his other teammates.
Toronto FC are Bernardeschi’s team, and Tata Martino knows it. That’s why it’s going to be even more fascinating than normal to watch how Alba moves up and down the field from his left back spot against Toronto.
Alba, who has eight combined goals and assists in his last 11 games, will line up opposite Bernardeschi. When the Italian steps high, the former FC Barcelona man will have to decide just how aggressive he wants to be. There’s always real attacking payoff to Alba stepping up the wing. But would he be better served by staying deeper to deal with Bernardeschi’s forays?
There’s a game within a game set to unfold on Thursday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
Ramiro Enrique can’t be stopped.
The 23-year-old striker has scored in six straight games, a streak that dates back to a win over D.C. United on July 6. With Duncan McGuire’s involvement with the US Olympic team and Luis Muriel’s consistent issues to produce like a DP, Enrique has enjoyed the chance to capture real minutes over the last month.
After arriving from Banfield in Argentina’s top flight before last season, Enrique wasn’t a game-changer right from the jump. He scored four goals in just over 1,000 minutes in the 2023 campaign – after just 483 minutes of regular season action this year, he’s already at that four goal total. Even more impressive, those goals all came after an injury kept Enrique out for a couple of months right after the start of this campaign.
Listed at just 5-foot-7, Enrique is an undersized No. 9. But his low center of gravity and quick movement both on and off the ball make him a hard man to pin down at the top of Oscar Pareja’s 4-2-3-1 shape. Enrique lurks in the box, constantly popping up in the worst possible place for the opposing center back and the best possible place for his own box score stats.
In open play, he’s a smooth connector and can hunt and connect with the ball close to goal:
Against Cruz Azul, Enrique will have a chance to test himself against one of the best LIGA MX clubs. He’s seized virtually every opportunity that’s come his way in 2024. Will that change Friday night (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)?
I could do a whole thing about how good Cucho Hernández is, how important he is to the Crew, and how he truly is the perfect forward for Wilfried Nancy’s style of play.
But plenty of people have already done that – myself included.
Cucho will be important for all the usual reasons in the Round of 32. But for the Columbus Crew’s matchup with Sporting Kansas City on Friday, Cucho’s tendency to drift towards the left wing and left halfspace will be crucial. Why? Well, because his opposite will most likely be forward-turned-right back Khiry Shelton. Jake Davis has also returned from his duties as an alternate for the US men in France, but Peter Vermes has indicated Davis’ future may well lie in central midfield.
If Cucho has the chance to line up across from Shelton, it’ll be his precise off-ball movement and crafty one-v-one skill that helps tilt the game in the Crew’s favor. Shelton does many things well: he’s physical, quick, and could develop into a quality right back over time. But he doesn’t yet have the positional discipline or the defensive instincts to shut down a league-average attacker, let alone one of the best forwards to have ever set foot on this side of the Atlantic.
Watch out for a moment like this one Friday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass):
With Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund out for the year, it was no secret FC Cincinnati needed another center back to help them finish out the rest of the season.
Enter: Chidozie Awaziem.
The 27-year-old Nigerian central defender joined from Boavista earlier in the summer transfer window after having played nearly 2,000 league minutes in the Portuguese top flight this past year. Awaziem also played 2,000 minutes in LaLiga and 1,500 minutes in Ligue 1 earlier in his career. Based on where he’s played, Awaziem has a track record that points to him being a solid-to-excellent MLS defender. He’s quick on his feet, strong in the challenge and has something to offer on the ball, too.
Up against Santos Laguna in the next round, a team that looked lifeless in their two group stage games and has struggled in LIGA MX during the early stages of the Apertura, Pat Noonan may just need sharp distribution from Awaziem in the back. He pulled out a clever (if not totally smooth) assist against New York City FC on Monday night and can help break down blocks based on the tape I’ve watched:
Pay attention to how the ball moves off Awaziem’s right foot against Santos Laguna (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass). If it moves quickly and with precision, Cincy will have every chance to reach the Round of 16.
Cole Bassett’s versatility has been a huge asset to the Colorado Rapids this year.
With Djordje Mihailovic off at the Paris Olympics up until Colorado’s penalty shootout win over Club León on Monday night, Bassett was asked to play as the No. 10 in Chris Armas’ 4-2-3-1 shape. With Mihailovic back in the fold and ready to start, he’ll surely slot back into the double pivot.
Against FC Juárez in the knockouts, Bassett will be important on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, he keys so many of the Rapids’ pressing moments – Armas can trust the 23-year-old’s ability to pick his spots as his team steps forward out of their 4-4-2 mid-block to their 4-2-3-1 pressing shape. In the attack, Bassett’s knack for progressing the ball on the dribble could unbalance Juárez's aggressive 4-2-3-1 structure, while his off-ball movement and timing to break into the box could tip the game’s balance into Colorado’s favor.
“Besides winning, the thing he values most is scoring goals,” Armas said of Bassett in an interview with Backheeled. Prioritizing scoring over almost everything else isn’t normal for a deep-lying midfielder, but it’s a huge part of what makes the young American so special.
Colorado won’t dominate the ball against Juárez, which means Bassett will have plenty of chances to do the things he does best: press, quickly dribble through the middle in transition, and knife into the box at the exact right time.
