The opening matchday of the 2023 Leagues Cup concluded on Sunday with Atlas beating NYCFC and Nashville taking the lead in Central 4 with a win over Colorado.
Leagues Cup matchday 1 Sunday: Atlas beats NYCFC, Nashville leads in Central 4
Matchday 1 of the 2023 Leagues Cup concluded on Sunday, starting with Atlas beating NYCFC 1-0 at Citi Field in East 3. Aldo Rocha scored for Atlas in the 7th and goalkeeper Camilo Vargas kept the clean sheet with one save.
FC Cincinnati and Sporting Kansas City finished 3-3 in regulation at TQL Stadium with Cincinnati winning 4-2 on penalties. An own-goal put Sporting KC up in the 9th and Daniel Rosero doubled the lead in the 12th. Sporting went a man down with a red card to Alan Pulido in the 30th and gave up an own-goal in the 34th. Cincinnati’s Brandon Vazquez equalized in the 56th. Gadi Kinda converted a Sporting penalty in the 69th and Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta equalized from the penalty spot eight minutes into stoppage time. Sporting failed to convert in the third and fourth rounds of penalties while Cincinnati went four from four to take the lead in Central 3.
“It’s better than one,” FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said about getting two points for winning on penalties. “We could do all the numbers. If we win a game, in our second game, we’re at the top of the group. So that’s the math that I know. I try not to figure out the rest, because if we take care of business in our second game, we’ll be the top of the group. So that’s the goal.”
Nashville beat Colorado 2-1 at home in Central 4, taking the lead from a 57th minute Hany Mukhtar goal. Jacon Shaffelburg doubled the Nashville lead in the 65th and Colorado’s Andrew Gutman pulled a goal back in the 80th.
“I like to think this is just the beginning for this group for the second half of the season,” Minnesota coach Adrian Heath said. “We feel as though there’s goals in this group, but the energy level is the thing that’s really pleased me and the defensive mindset for everybody to do their job and to help each other. If we do that we will always score goals. We have too much talent in our forward areas not to score goals.”
Minnesota beat Puebla 4-0 at Allianz Field in Central 2, going ahead from a 30th minute Bongokuhle Hlongwane goal in the 24th. United’s Michael Boxall saw red in the 30th. Hlongwane scored again in the 51st and Emanuel Reynoso added goals in the 50th and 65th. Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St Clair kept the clean sheet with four saves.
Delayed by rain, Columbus beat St Louis City 2-1 in Central 1. Lucas Zelarayan opened the scoring for Columbus in the 11th and a Cucho Hernandez penalty doubled the lead in the 19th. An own-goal pulled a goal back for St Louis in the 85th minute.
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