Round of 32 begins today
The Leagues Cup knockout stage begins today with two games. LAFC host Austin and Vancouver welcome Pumas. Both games are free to watch on Apple TV at 10:30 pm ET. Check out the full schedule here.
Charlotte sign USMNT defender Ream from Fulham
Charlotte FC have acquired US men’s national team defender Tim Ream from English Premier League side Fulham FC. Ream is signed through 2026 with an option for 2027, marking his MLS return after starring for the New York Red Bulls from 2010-11.
Columbus acquire River Plate defender Herrera
The Columbus Crew have acquired defender Andrés Herrera on loan from Argentine powerhouse River Plate The 25-year-old right back is on loan through next summer. The Crew also have a purchase option. Herrera, who represented Argentina at the 2020 Summer Olympics, is Columbus' second outside back signing of the summer transfer window. Last week, the reigning MLS Cup champions added DeJuan Jones in a trade from the New England Revolution.
Just one game to review and two big games to look at for tonight. Let’s talk it out.
Bobby Wood and Sam Surridge traded goals and the Revs found a way through on penalties to win their group. They’ll face New York City FC in the Round of 32. Nashville’s B.J. Callaghan era is still looking for its first win. They were eliminated from the competition with the shootout loss.
LAFC vs. Austin FC
Watch: Apple TV - Free | Wednesday, 10:30 pm ET
Watchability Score: 38/50
Now the fun part can really begin. There should be a much sharper edge to these games now that we’ve reached the knockout stage. Somehow, this stage involves Austin FC coming off a group stage win.
Seriously, how did that happen? I’m not trying to get laminated again, but, man, the odds Austin would sail through their group with wins over Pumas and Monterrey were very, very slim at the start. They’re even slim in hindsight. Austin put nine shots on target over two games. Five of those shots went in.
That may not be sustainable, but, man, it was definitely entertaining. Odds are they won’t be able to pull it off again though. Which is exactly why they’re as primed as ever to pull it off again. This is just how Austin FC works. Yes, they’ll have their hands full with Denis Bouanga and maybe even Olivier Giroud if he makes his debut. Yes, they don’t really have an advantage at any spot other than maybe goalkeeper. Yes, they’re on the road. But for some reason that all kind of makes it feel like they’re going to win. Just because.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Pumas UNAM
Watch: Apple TV - Free | Wednesday, 10:30 pm ET
Watchability Score: 35/50
Pumas didn’t exactly pass their group stage test with flying colors. They were taken down by Austin and then survived a penalty shootout against Monterrey. But they’re alive, they’re here, and they’re still technically going to be favored over Vancouver.
It’s not that Vancouver are a bad team. They did find a way to win their group after all. They took LAFC to penalties, won the shootout and then rolled past Club Tijuana. But, even with home-field advantage tonight, the conversation around the Whitecaps is the same as it ever was. They’re a good team. But do they have the talent to take on a higher-end LIGA MX side?
To be fair, for a game or two, they probably do, especially in a knockout setting. Eventually though, they always seem to be a piece or two short against the big bads. We’ll see if they can start to change that narrative tonight.
We’ve been so caught up in Leagues Cup that we haven’t really had time to take stock of some major moves. Let’s run through them right quick just to catch everyone up.
The Crew make two big moves
We can start with the news that the Crew have added another fullback. Yesterday they announced the signing of Andrés Herrera from River Plate. We don’t know how he’ll translate to MLS, but we do know River Plate's pedigree is real and he should be able to fit in. He’s their second fullback signing this window after they traded Will Sands and some allocation money to New England for Dejuan Jones.
We do know how Jones will perform in MLS. This move feels a lot like their acquisition of Julian Gressel last season. The Crew have gone out and gotten one of the league’s best players at their position. However, Jones might fit even more snuggly into Wilfried Nancy’s system. With Max Arfsten, Mo Farsi and Yaw Yeboah already in place, the Crew are stacked at wingback now and feel about as complete as they’ve ever felt under Nancy. They also have added depth to the position now if more offers come in for Farsi.
The only place a team like the Crew could really improve is on the edges of their starting lineup and they’ve gone out and done just that. It’s less clear than ever who’s going to be able to slow them down.
A center back swap
On Saturday, the Revs and St. Louis exchanged center backs. New England received Tim Parker and $600k in GAM while St. Louis picked up Henry Kessler.
Kessler is five years younger and has more long-term upside than Parker, but Parker is coming off a Best XI season. Even if the Revs only have Parker under contract through the end of this year, adding in $600k in extra GAM feels like a nice haul.
Overall, the makeup of both teams hasn’t changed much. But St. Louis has locked in a starter at center back through 2026. The Revs have a player who can help them push for a playoff spot and $600k in allocation money to use next year. I guess we’ll call it a wash?
The Revs add a U22
That’s not the only big move New England has made. On Friday, they acquired forward Luca Langoni from Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors in a reported $7 million deal. He’ll occupy a U22 spot.
As always, we never know how a player will translate to MLS, but that’s a big outlay for any MLS player. It seems like New England’s rebuild is in full swing after a disastrous stretch over the past year. They will look a lot different by the time we reach opening weekend in 2025.
LAFC add O’Brien
LAFC added midfielder Lewis O’Brien from Nottingham Forest last week. O’Brien spent 2023 with D.C. United and played in 17 games. It’s a solid depth signing for a team that’s basically just sanding the edges of a roster that’s clearly good enough to compete for multiple trophies this year. Now they just need to add Antoine Griezmann and they might be set for a while…
Charlotte FC add a star defender
After weeks of rumors, Tim Ream has officially joined Charlotte FC from Fulham. The 36-year-old comes in with over a decade of experience in the Premier League and should slot in nicely next to Adilson Malanda. The bottom line is that one of the best defensive teams in the league just got even better.
Charlotte still have room to add a DP by the way.
Atlanta and Minnesota have their new DPs
Atlanta United announced the signing of DP attacking midfielder Alexey Miranchuk and Minnesota United announced the signing of DP forward Kelvin Yeboah. Both come from Serie A sides. Both need to be really good.
Atlanta are trying to replace Thiago Almada. Minnesota are trying to replace Bebelo Reynoso. Good luck to them both. That’s it. That’s the whole analysis.
- Philadelphia Union sign homegrown midfielder Olney: The Philadelphia Union have signed homegrown midfielder CJ Olney through 2028 with an option for 2029. The 17-year-old US youth international has 8g/15a in 39 appearances for the Union's MLS NEXT Pro side. Olney made his first-team debut in June against Charlotte FC.
- The Round of 32 is set. Here’s every matchup.
- Bradley Wright-Phillips looked at the underdogs that could flip Leagues Cup on its head.
- Sacha Kljestan picked out his knockout round favorites.
- Joe Lowery looked at the key players to watch in the Round of 32.
Good luck out there. Give a gift when you can.
