When City SC goalkeeper Roman Burki was at the Major League Soccer All-Star Game in July, he was asked about the Liga MX All-Star team that he was about to play.
He said he was still new to North American soccer and didn’t know much about the Mexican league, but he did know one thing: “We played Club America last year in the Leagues Cup, and we had no chance,†he said.
City SC gets a second chance at the powerhouse of North American soccer when it faces Club America at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, the home of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup tournament (9:30 p.m., Season Pass on Apple TV+). At stake is a trip to the quarterfinals of the tournament, against either Mexican club Toluca or the Colorado Rapids of MLS. If City SC wins the, next match will be at CityPark on Saturday.
Club America, winners of 15 Mexican league titles, blew out City SC last season 4-0, dominating the team more than any opponent all season. Though Club America’s lead was only 1-0 at halftime, it scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half to put the game away. City SC’s expected goals total in that game was .32, matching its season low, while Club America’s was 2.91, the second-highest for a City SC opponent last season.
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But it’s a very different City SC team from the one that faced Club America last season. Heck, it’s a very different City SC team from the one that played San Jose on July 7 when John Hackworth took over as interim coach. The lineup has gotten a makeover in the summer transfer window. The team’s newest faces have three or four games together and have taken significant steps. Taking that next step and beating Club America would be the biggest one yet.
“It’s a big challenge,†Hackworth said Monday, “and we know that. Club America is a hugely talented team, but at the same time, we feel good about ourselves, and we’re going to go out and try to win.
“In that game, we were not very good, and Club America was really good. That’s what it came down to. ... We’re a different team, though, right now, and we just want to focus on ourselves. We know what we have to do to try to be successful against a team the quality of America, and that’s all we can do.â€
“It was a tough game for us at home,†said defender Josh Yaro, who started in last year’s meeting. “They’re a really good team. But then again, last year’s last year. This year is this year. They have a different team this year. I think as a team, we’ve matured, we’ve improved, and we’ve shown that through the Leagues Cup games that we’ve had. So yeah, we do remember what happened last year. But also, it’s not something that’s in the back of our minds. This is a fresh new year. It’s a fresh game. It hasn’t been played yet, and we approach it that way.â€
At the moment, City SC might be playing the best it has this season, having won two out of three games for the first time this year. Its new attacking trio of Marcel Hartel, Cedric Teuchert and Simon Becher, combining with midfielder Eduard Lowen, have scored six goals in the past three games and had the opportunity for several more.
The team’s defense has also stood out to Hackworth, even though it’s been a different unit almost every time out. It could look different again this time. Left back Jannes Horn, another of the team’s summer acquisitions who arrived in ºüÀêÊÓƵ last week, is available, Hackworth said, as is center back Kyle Hiebert, who left the Portland game early because of a sore leg. Midfielder Njabulo Blom, who was suspended for the Portland game, was available to be chosen but was not selected for the team that made the trip to Los Angeles.
Club America’s 15 titles include both the opening and closing halves of the 2023-24 season. But it is beatable. Club America has two wins and two losses to start the first half of the 2024-25 season and is in ninth place and, after sitting out the first round of the Leagues Cup by virtue of its titles last season, was less than overpowering but still effective in winning its first match 2-1 over another Mexican club, Atlas, on Friday. It was the first match that counted for Club America in three weeks, so some rust was expected, though the team did have friendlies against English clubs Chelsea and Aston Villa in between.
And playing in Southern California, Club America definitely will have the home-field advantage, even if it’s not the team’s regular home in Mexico City.
“Every time you face a Mexican opponent, it’s a little different kind of soccer to what we’re used to in the MLS,†Hackworth said. “And I personally enjoy it because it challenges us, the coaching staffs and the players, in a different way. So I’m taking away the fact that we got to be at our best ... to give ourselves a chance of being successful in the game, and that’s certainly a challenge, but it’s something that we’re confident that we can go out and try to do.â€
“It’s a team that we respect,†Yaro said. “But as we always approach every game, you always respect your opponent, you don’t fear them, and that’s how we’re approaching this game. We didn’t come all the way from ºüÀêÊÓƵ to L.A. to just roll around and go back and say we played in the League Cup. That’s not our aim.
“Our goal is to go all the way and win it. And so we approach the game that way. We’re going to come out with full confidence, and I think we have a really good team to make it through. So that’s our mentality, and that’s how we approach the game.â€