Pumas and Austin FC will meet for the first time in their history on Friday in the opening match of Group A in the Leagues Cup at Q2 Stadium.
Last year, the three-time CONCACAF Champions Cup winners were knocked out in the round of 32 by Queretaro (1-0), while the Verde and Black did not make it beyond the group phase, losing both of their games by a 3-1 scoreline.
Match preview
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Pumas are off to a great start in the Liga MX Apertura campaign, unbeaten in their first four matches, putting them in a tie with Tigres and Cruz Azul for first, all on 10 points.
Gustavo Lema cannot have too many complaints about how his side have performed, going unbeaten in July and conceding a goal or fewer in each of those encounters.
In their last six matches played outside of Mexico City, Auriazules have managed to come away with at least a point each time.
Their 1-0 defeat versus Queretaro in the 2023 knockout portion of this tournament was only the second time they failed to find the back of the net in the Leagues Cup.
A year ago, they managed to top a group featuring the likes of CF Montreal and DC United, claiming four points from their two fixtures.
Friday will only be the fourth time they face an MLS side in this competition, and the Mexicans have never lost within 90 minutes in any of those encounters.
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The Verde and Black may be in their home stadium for this opening contest, though they will be without some significant local support.
That is because their supporters group, called "Austin Anthem", have said they are boycotting the Leagues Cup because the club were among the many that chose not to compete at the US Open Cup this year due to schedule congestion.
Recent results suggest that supporters' group have not made much of a difference, with Josh Wolff's men winning just one of their last five MLS fixtures at Q2 Stadium (2-1 over New York City FC).
Last year, they lost both of their Leagues Cup encounters in the Texas capital despite having points within their grasp on both occasions.
Domestically, in 2024, Austin have never lost a match when scoring multiple times, winning five of the last six times that they have done so.
Austin have only faced two Mexican opponents in this competition and lost both of those encounters versus Mazatlan (3-1) and Juarez (3-1) last year.
Team News
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There were two newcomers in the Pumas starting 11 versus Pachuca who did not begin their league fixture with Juarez as Ruben Duarte and Rogelio Funes Mori came into the lineup with captain Lisandro Magallan and Guillermo Martinez relegated to the bench.
Goals from Ulises Rivas and Cesar Huerta were all they would need to dispose of Pachuca (2-0), while Julio Gonzalez made two stops for the clean sheet.
Despite missing their match against Charlotte FC with a red card suspension, Sebastian Driussi is eligible to play for Austin on Friday, along with Julio Cascante, who sat out of that game due to yellow card accumulation.
Alexander Ring gave them an early lead last Saturday, though it was an 80th-minute strike by Jon Gallagher which enabled them to claim a point in a 2-2 draw with Charlotte.
Pumas possible starting lineup:
Gonzalez; Bennevendo, Silva, Duarte, Monroy; Rivas, Lopez; Ruvalcaba, Suarez, Huerta; Martinez
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Gallagher, Hines-Ike, Kolmanic, Biro; Ring, Valencia, Pereira, Driussi, Obrian; Zardes
We say: Pumas 3-1 Austin FC
Pumas know how to handle matches like this, which, for all intents and purposes, is essentially a game that neither can afford to lose.
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Joel Lefevre
