Can Charlotte FC Make Noise in the Leagues Cup? A Look at the Liga MX Challenge Ahead
- Griffin Weidner
- Jul 30
- 5 min read
Charlotte FC will begin their 2025 Leagues Cup campaign later this week. This version of the tournament features all eighteen Liga MX clubs and 18 qualifying MLS clubs, the teams who finished in the top-nine of each conference last season. As an added incentive in 2025, the top three finishers in this year’s Leagues Cup will receive an automatic bid to the Concacaf Champions Cup. With an updated tournament format, Charlotte FC will face three Liga MX clubs in the group stage: FC Juarez, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
The New Format:
While the Leagues Cup is a young tournament, fans should be prepared for an already-adjusted tournament format. This year, there are 36 total clubs, and all group stage matches will take place between an MLS and Liga MX team. Regarding group stage standings, the table will be divided into two sides: an MLS table and a Liga MX table. Thus, while group stage games represent competition across leagues, teams are competing against teams in their own league in the group stage table. From there, the top four teams from each table will advance to the knockout stage; thus, the top four MLS teams and the top four Liga MX teams will make up the quarterfinals.
What to Expect from Charlotte FC:
Charlotte FC are entering this year’s Leagues Cup in astoundingly strong form. After a long mid-season slump, the team finished July with a streak of five games unbeaten in the MLS. And, to top it off, Charlotte has won the last four MLS games, a feat never-before-completed by this young franchise. In the attack, young forward Idan Toklomati has been stepping up following the sale of franchise star, Patrick Agyemang. Toklomati now has five goals in his last seven games and is proving to be a nuisance to opposing defenses. We’ve been able to score multiple goals in each of our last six games, largely thanks to franchise superstar and league MVP candidate, Pep Biel. Fans can expect Biel to continue being the catalyst behind Charlotte FC’s attacking success, contributing both goals and assists. And, it’s important to mention that Wilfried Zaha has been clearly settling down in Charlotte and his performances are only improving. For a player who thrives on competition, don’t be surprised if Zaha has a standout Leagues Cup campaign.
Uncharacteristically, the team is still ironing out its defensive personnel and structure. This season has been a hollow imitation of last year’s defensive success. We have unfortunately dealt with a series of injuries to our top fullbacks, Nathan Byrne and Souleyman Doumbia. Luckily, young guys like Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Nick Scardina have stepped up when called upon. But, all-in-all, we simply don’t have the defensive record that we used to. But, on the positive side, we’ve been able to earn two clean sheets in the last four matches, a possible sign that the tides could be changing at the right time. The past few games, Dean Smith has favored a partnership of Adilson Malanda and Tim Ream in central defense, citing a drop in Andrew Privett’s play as the reason for his admission. Additionally, Bill Tuiloma has been seeing increased minutes as of late and has even played the fullback position a handful of times. Only time will tell, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dean Smith continue experimenting with this backline in Leagues Cup in order to find the optimal structure for the end of the MLS season. With our fullbacks getting closer to full health and center backs competing for spots, everyone should be motivated to cement their position in the heart of this backline for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Our Opponents:
An important disclaimer: it is quite difficult to gauge the quality of our opponents as Liga MX is only three games into their season. Thus, the current standings and form that teams are in should be taken with a grain of salt. After reviewing the recent form and structure of our opponents, Charlotte FC should be able to attack the defense weaknesses of each Liga MX club, as all have a knack for allowing goals. Then again, so have we this season. But, if we put together a strong run of form with defensive stability, we have a legitimate chance to advance to the knockout stage.
Opponent #1: FC Juarez
FC Juarez currently finds themselves 17th out of 18 teams in Liga MX. The club has opened their Liga MX campaign with two draws and a loss. They have scored two goals and allowed three in this run of games. Last season, which ended just a couple of months ago, Juarez finished in 9th place with a record of 6-6-5. Their star forward, Oscar Estupiñan, bagged 9 goals and assisted 1 more for Juarez in the ‘24-’25 season. Charlotte FC will face FC Juarez on Thursday, July 31st.
Opponent #2: Deportivo Guadalajara
Guadalajara, also known as Chivas, find themselves in 12th place out of 18 teams in Liga MX, despite only playing 2 games thus far. The club has earned a win and a loss in the first two games of their new campaign, scoring four and allowing four. Last season, Chivas uncharacteristically finished in 11th place, with a record of 5-6-6. Their star player is winger, Roberto Alvarado, who scored 9 goals and assisted 7 more during the ‘24-’25 season. Charlotte FC will face Guadalajara on Monday, August 3rd.
Opponent #3: CF Monterrey
Monterrey are off to a strong start in their Liga MX campaign, where they find themselves in 4th place after three games. The team has picked up two victories, alongside one loss, in their first three matches. In this stretch–interestingly enough–Monterrey have scored four goals and allowed four goals. Last season, Monterrey finished in 7th place in Liga MX, with a record of 8-4-5. Additionally, the club recently wrapped up their Club World Cup campaign, where they finished second in their group. They would fall in the Round of 16 to Dortmund. Their star player is 34-year-old Sergio Canales, who astoundingly finished the ‘24-’25 campaign with 17 goals and 12 assists. Their backline is notably headlined by footballing icon, Sergio Ramos. Monterrey has a handful of dangerous talents, though, and they appear to be the deepest out of the three teams that Charlotte will face. Charlotte FC will take on CF Monterrey on Thursday, August 7th.
Overall, Charlotte FC has a winnable slate of Leagues Cup matches. But, there is no room for error. With only the top four clubs from each league moving on to the knockout stage, it is likely that we will have to win all three games in the group stage. In this first phase of the tournament, it is safe to say that Charlotte FC’s opponents grow increasingly difficult, but the team can use this to their advantage as a way to build momentum if they take care of business in the first game or two. It will be interesting to see Dean Smith–and the team’s–approach to the 2025 Leagues Cup campaign after an early exit last year; can we make a push to win our first major silverware?
Images: 704 Pride, Leagues Cup, TV Azteca, Daily Sports, CF Monterrey, Charlotte FC
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