The Leagues Cup roundup saw Inter Miami and Mazatlan advance, FC Dallas shutout Necaxa, and Houston beat Santos Laguna on penalties.
Leagues Cup matchday 2 Tuesday: Inter Miami and Mazatlan advance, Dallas wins
The second round of games began in the Leagues Cup group stage on Tuesday, starting with Inter Miami’s 4-0 home win over Atlanta in South 3. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 8th minute and doubled the lea in the 22nd. Robert Taylor added goals in the 44th and 53rd. Miami played a man down from the 84th when Christopher McVey saw red and goalkeeper Drake Callender saved the ensuing penalty in the 86th. Callendar made six saves to keep the clean sheet, with Inter Miami advancing to the round of 32.
Santos Laguna and Houston drew 2-2 at Shell Energy Stadium with the Dynamo winning 5-4 on penalties. Houston took the lead from a 14th minute Corey Baird goal and Griffin Dorsey made it 2-0 in the 26th. Santos Laguna’s Harold Preciado pulled a goal back in the 45th and equalized from the penalty spot in the 63d. Santos Laguna failed to convert in the fifth round of penalties with Houston going five for five. Houston leads South 2 with three points from two games, a point ahead of Orlando and two in front of Santos Laguna. Santos Laguna plays Orlando on Saturday at Exploria Stadium in the South 2 finale.
Disappointed in our response,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said. “But you know, to win a PK shootout, it’s been a while since we clapped off the fans. You get two points. It’s a big two points, right in the grand scheme of this tournament. It was an important resilient two points rather than the one because the one puts us in a bad spot, two points puts us in a pretty good spot.”
FC Dallas shutout Necaxa 3-0 at home to advance from South 4. Playing a man up from an 11th minute Alan Montes red card, Sebastian Lletget opened the scoring for Dallas in the 24th. Eugene Ansah doubled the lead in the 62nd and Jesus Ferreria finished off the Dallas goals in the 73rd minute. Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes made three saves.
“Getting the win and a clean sheet is important,” Paes said. “Yes they went down a player early, but looking at the Minnesota and Puebla game, it does not mean you will dominate and score lots of goals in most cases. When we took the lead our message was to just keep pushing for another goal instead of relaxing. 3-0 is a great scoreline for a goalkeeper.”
Mazatlan and FC Juarez drew 1-1 with Mazatlan winning on penalties in South 1. The two points advanced Mazatlan to the round of 32 as group winners. With Juarez taking the lead from a 25th minute own-goal, Mazatlan’s Ake Arnaud Loba equalized in the 49th. Juarez failed to convert in the second and fourth round of penalties while Mazatlan went four for four.
