Loons Open Leagues Cup Play Tonight Against FC Juárez

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Minnesota United begins its 2026 Leagues Cup run tonight, hosting Liga MX side FC Juárez at Allianz Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

It’s the first of three Phase One matches for the Loons, and all three are at home. Minnesota hosts Tigres UANL Friday, August 7th at 8:00 p.m., then closes out the phase against Atlante FC on Tuesday, August 11th at 7:30 p.m.

The tournament brings together 36 clubs — all 18 Liga MX teams and the 18 MLS clubs that qualified for the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Each team plays three matches in Phase One, and only the top four finishers from each league move on to the knockout rounds. That leaves eight of the 36 clubs still standing, meaning there’s little room for a slow start. The tournament runs through September 6th, with three berths in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup on the line.

Minnesota comes in looking for a reset. The Loons are winless in their last seven MLS matches after settling for a 1-1 draw with San Diego FC on Saturday, and boos have greeted the final whistle at Allianz Field in recent weeks. The club sits at six wins, six losses and six draws, good for 24 points — level on points with eighth-place Portland and ninth-place Seattle, but 10th in the Western Conference on tiebreakers.

Head coach Cameron Knowles is also working around a thin central midfield, with Peter Stroud and Nectarios Triantis both sidelined by injury. Three matches in eight days, sandwiched between regular-season fixtures, will test the depth of the roster.

Juárez arrives in similar shape. Los Bravos have lost all three of their matches to open the Apertura season, including a 5-1 defeat to UNAM Pumas on Friday. The club is one of the youngest in Liga MX but reached the Liguilla quarterfinals last fall, and it came within a goal-differential tiebreaker of advancing in last year’s Leagues Cup.

Minnesota’s 2025 tournament ended in the group stage. The Loons opened with a 4-1 win over Querétaro, then lost a penalty shootout to Club América and fell 2-0 to Atlético San Luis.