July 30, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release
Charlotte FC hosts Cruz Azul at Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday in their final group stage match of Leagues Cup 2024. The Mexican side are top of the table early in the Liga MX season and will be playing their first match of the tournament.
Essentially, it is an elimination match for CLTFC. The team needs to win – either outright or in a penalty shootout – to keep their knockout round hopes alive.
Match: Charlotte FC vs Cruz Azul (Leagues Cup Group Stage)
When: Wednesday, July 31
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. ET
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV – How to Watch & Listen
Listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM (English) & WOLS 106.1 FM (Spanish)
Previous Matches:
Philadelphia Union 1 – 0 Charlotte FC (Leagues Cup | July 27)
Cruz Azul 1 – 1 Toluca (Liga MX Apertura | July 20)
Group Standings: Top two advance to Round of 32
1. Philadelphia Union – 3 points, 1 GP
T-2. Charlotte FC – 0 points, 1 GP
T-2. Cruz Azul – 0 points, 0 GP
CLEARING UP THE TIEBREAKER CONFUSION
After Charlotte FC’s loss at Philadelphia to open the group stage, the team’s knockout round qualification scenarios became more complicated.
With only three teams in the group, the likelihood of ties (and thus tiebreakers) increases. Additionally, because of the three-team groups, the final group stage match cannot be played simultaneously as it would in a four-team group. So, CLTFC takes on Cruz Azul first on Wednesday before Cruz Azul travels to Philadelphia for the group’s final match.
So, let’s dive into the scenarios facing Charlotte FC heading into Wednesday’s match. Remember: only the top two go through, and the third place team is eliminated.
1. Charlotte FC Wins by Multiple Goals
In order to guarantee a place in the knockout rounds (without relying on and waiting for a certain result in the Cruz Azul vs Philadelphia match), CLTFC has only one possibility: a multi-goal win.
Should The Crown beat their Mexican opponent by two or more goals on Wednesday, they will finish in either first or second place in the group. The result on Saturday won’t matter, and fans can celebrate a berth in the Round of 32 at the final whistle.
If you care to dive into the weeds, you can see the reasoning below. Otherwise, skip ahead for the next scenarios.
CLTFC wins by two-plus goals over Cruz Azul. Charlotte’s final total is 3 points with AT WORST a +1 goal differential.
FOUR results could happen on Saturday:
Philadelphia wins. Cruz Azul has 0…
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