Preview | Union close Leagues Cup Phase One vs Santos Laguna

Philadelphia Union are set to play their third and final Phase One match of the 2026 edition of Leagues Cup on Thursday, August 13th at 7:10pm at Subaru Park, hosting Liga MX side Santos Laguna. Click here for tickets or tune in to watch on Apple TV.

As it stands

The visiting side, based in Torreón, Coahuila, has already been eliminated from the tournament, falling 2-0 to New York City, then 3-1 to Chicago Fire. In this year’s tournament format, the top four teams from each league will move on to the knockouts, and as of Wendesday morning just seven Liga MX teams are still in contention for those spots.

On the Major League Soccer side, only a pair of Western Conference teams in Vancouver Whitecaps and Minnesota United have been officially mathematically eliminated. Philadelphia Union’s chances of jumping to the top four are slim, as six MLS teams have won both of opening matches for a total of six points, and both Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew are atop the standings with 7 and 8 points respectively after three.

Momentum After A Win

For Philly, their lone victory came on Sunday night against Necaxa and former Union striker Julian Carranza. Nathan Harriel, back in his natural right back position and sporting the captain's armband, opened scoring early with a third minute goal assissted by Cavan Sullivan. Bruno Damiani made it two less than nine minutes later. Sullivan scored one of his own near the start of the second half for a 3-0 lead, and while Necaxa pulled one back in the 79th, all three points went to the hosts.

Recapping Richter's presser

Starting with Thursday's match against Santos Laguna, Philadelphia Union will play four matches in 10 days time, including three challengings MLS matches against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium, Inter Miami at home, then Austin FC on the road.

On Wednesday, Philadelphia Union Head Coach Ryan Richter met with the media, providing a glimpse into his team's preparations for what could be both team's final Leagues Cup match, what that might look like personnel-wise come first kick, and how it fits into their strenous schedule ahead.

"It's also hard to prepare for what they're going to do, because you know they're obviously out of the competition. But at the same time, they're hungry for a win, and for us, we're always hungry for a win, so we have to approach the game in a way where the result is the most important thing. The guys have to prepare themselves in the right way that they're ready to perform at their highest level."

While it's unclear whether or not Santos Laguna will go with their typical starters or lean on rotation, Richter did give insight on into his own team's plan, which includes 23-year-old forward Stas Korzeniowski, who scored a brace in Union II's most recent MLS Next Pro match.

"He had a really good game with the second team, and that was important for him for where he's at in his yeah recovery and getting back to full fitness," Richter said.

"He'll get an opportunity tomorrow to show that he can do that at this level as well, so happy with his performance in that game, and with performances like that, you get rewarded. So let's see what he can do tomorrow when he gets his chance with the first team."

What is Leagues Cup?

Leagues Cup is an annual, Concacaf-sanctioned tournament that brings together 18 LIGA MX teams and 18 qualified MLS clubs in a fully interleague format, to play for a Concacaf Champions Cup qualification. The top three finishers will earn Concacaf Champions Cup qualification -- the Leagues Cup champion advances directly to the CCC Round of 16.