Match Preview: Atlanta United hosts Cruz Azul in group stage of Leagues Cup

First Touches

• Atlanta United will wear the 17s' kit.
• The winner of Saturday's match advances in Leagues Cup and plays in the Round of 32 next week. The losing team will be eliminated from the tournament. More information about the rules and format can be found here.
• "They will come to play until death, no matter what. I will do the same." | This week's Training Notebook
• Who's in and who's out against Cruz Azul? View the Availability Report presented by Piedmont
• Tools to the Match: Here's how Atlanta United bounces back against Liga MX side Cruz Azul

Match Details

• Date: Saturday, July 29
• Kickoff time: 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Tickets: View tickets

Going to the match? Check out our detailed timeline and things to do before kickoff.

How to watch, listen and live stream Atlanta United vs. Cruz Azul

• TV: Watch for FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV or on Univision
• Listen: Local radio 92.9 The Game and La Mejor
• Live stream: Watch on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or visit https://tv.apple.com/.
• Follow along: Follow the match with realtime stats and live play-by-play on our Matchday Hub page.

Click here to watch the video to learn how to sign up for MLS Season Pass

About Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul, or Club de Fútbol Cruz Azul, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. The club competes in Liga BBVA MX, the top division of Mexican soccer. Cruz Azul was founded in Hidalgo before moving to Mexico City in 1971. The team is well-known for their blue color. In Spanish, "azul" means blue. One of the club's nicknames is "La Máquina Azul," which means The Blue Machine.

Atlanta United met Cruz Azul previously in 2023 during the preseason trip to Mexico City in February when the clubs played a scrimmage at Cruz Azul's home stadium, Estadio Azteca. Here are a few more Atlanta United connections to Cruz Azul:

• Center back Luis Abram played 25 matches for Cruz Azul before joining the 5-Stripes.
• Head coach Gonzalo Pineda also played for the Mexican club in 2010-2011.
• Atlanta United assistant coach Eugenio Villazón served as an assistant at Cruz Azul for his former manager Enrique Meza from 2009-2012.
• Center back Juanjo Purata was coached by Tuca Ferretti, the current head coach of Cruz Azul, when they were both at Tigres UANL.

Recent Form

It's been a tough run of form for Atlanta United and the 5-Stripes enter Saturday coming off three straight losses in all competitions, most recently a 4-0 defeat in their Leagues Cup debut against Inter Miami CF on Tuesday at DRV PNK Stadium. Saturday's opponent, Cruz Azul, is also coming off a loss to Inter Miami in Leagues Cup, a match that looked liked it was heading to penalty kicks until Lionel Messi was subbed on in the second half and delivered the game-winner on a spectacular direct free kick in stoppage time. Prior to that, Cruz Azul opened the Apertura season with straight losses. Expect an added intensity Saturday as both teams look to break their current run and get on the winning side.

What's at stake in Leagues Cup

Atlanta United and Cruz Azul are both in the South 3 group along with Inter Miami CF. Earlier this week with the win over Atlanta, Miami clinched the no. 1 spot in the group and a place in the Round of 32. Cruz Azul also lost their Leagues Cup debut to Inter Miami. That leaves both Atlanta United and Cruz Azul with one loss in the group stage. In Leagues Cup, the top two teams in each group advance, which means with a win over Cruz Azul on Saturday the 5-Stripes will advance to the tournament's knockout stage.