The Colorado Rapids are set for another high-profile summer of international competition as they prepare to take on Santos Laguna, Club Tijuana, and Cruz Azul in Phase One of Leagues Cup 2025.
With the group stage kicking off on July 31 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, this year’s tournament presents a mix of fresh matchups and new challengers. For the Rapids, it is an opportunity to build on their historic 2024 Leagues Cup performance, when they became the first MLS team to defeat four Liga MX clubs in a single edition. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament after leading the club to a third-place finish, which secured Colorado a spot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Rapids have now faced nine different Liga MX clubs across all competitions. This summer’s group stage will mark the club’s first-ever meetings with both Club Tijuana and Cruz Azul, expanding that list to eleven.
Find more information and buy tickets to home matches on the Rapids' Leagues Cup 2025 campaign at the official Leagues Cup Hub.
Santos Laguna
July 31 | DICK’S Sporting Goods Park
Founded: 1983 | Liga MX titles: 5
Leagues Cup 2024 finish: Round of 32, knocked out by FC Cincinnati in penalties
Santos Laguna is the only familiar opponent in the group. The two sides have met four times — twice in friendlies and twice in official CONCACAF Champions League matches. Colorado earned a 2-0 win in their first meeting in a 2003 friendly. Santos won both legs of the 2011 Champions League group stage, 4-1 in Commerce City and 2-0 in Torreón. They also claimed a 2-1 win in a 2013 friendly.
The Torreón-based club has lifted five Liga MX titles, three since 2008. Santos reached the Round of 32 in last year’s Leagues Cup before falling to FC Cincinnati.
Connections to Colorado:
- Edgar Castillo made 13 appearances for Santos Laguna in 2008 before joining Colorado in 2018, where he started all 28 matches he played.
- Herculez Gomez played for Santos from 2010 to 2011, scoring 12 league goals and reaching two Liga MX finals. He also played for the Rapids from 2007 to 2008 and scored the first goal ever in DICK’S Sporting Goods Park.
Club Tijuana
August 3 | DICK’S Sporting Goods Park
Founded: 2007 | Liga MX titles: 1
Leagues Cup 2024 finish: Bottom of group West 7 with no points
Colorado will face Club Tijuana for the first time in club history, though the two clubs are linked through several former players and staff. Tijuana captured their first Liga MX title in 2012 and are known for recruiting and developing players from both the United States and Mexico.
Tijuana enters the tournament under new manager Sebastián “Loco” Abreu, a former Uruguayan international who played for more than 30 clubs. This will be his first major tournament as head coach.
Connections to Colorado:
- Oscar Pareja coached the Rapids from 2012 to 2014 before managing Tijuana in 2018.
- Edgar Castillo made 65 appearances for Xolos and played 28 matches for Colorado in 2018, scoring three goals and recording five assists.
- Herculez Gomez featured for Tijuana from 2013 to 2015 after his time with Colorado.
Cruz Azul
August 7 | Dignity Health Sports Park
Founded: 1927 | Liga MX titles: 9 | CONCACAF Champions Cup titles: 7
Leagues Cup 2024 finish: Group stage runner-up in East 4, eliminated in Round of 32
Cruz Azul and Colorado will meet for the first time on August 7. This is the lone road match for the Rapids in the group stage. One of the most storied clubs in Mexican football, Cruz Azul has won nine Liga MX championships and is tied for the most CONCACAF Champions Cup titles with seven. Their most recent came earlier this year in a 5-0 win over Vancouver.
Cruz Azul enters the tournament under new manager Nicolás Larcamón, who took over in June. The club is temporarily playing its home matches at Estadio Olímpico Universitario due to renovations at Estadio Azteca.
Connections to Colorado
- Vicente Sánchez played for the Rapids from 2013 to 2015 and and recently began as interim manager at Cruz Azul before taking over the role full-time, leading the team to its seventh CONCACAF title. He departed the club by mutual agreement on June 6, 2025.
- Herculez Gomez began his professional career with Cruz Azul’s second-division team before making his MLS debut with the Rapids.
- José Cancela made 11 appearances for Colorado in 2007 and was previously on Cruz Azul’s roster in 2001 and 2002. He also served as an assistant coach for Cruz Azul in 2023.
- Alberto Rizo made six appearances for the Rapids in 2003 and later played 10 matches for Cruz Azul’s second team in 2007.
- Jorge “Tote” Castañeda played for the Rapids in 1997 and for Cruz Azul in 1999. He later served as an assistant coach with Cruz Azul Hidalgo.
Updated format in 2025
Leagues Cup 2025 will follow a different format from the two previous iterations of the tournament. Running from July 29 to August 31 and featuring 18 MLS teams and 18 Liga MX clubs, the tournament will be split into two stages: Phase One and the Knockout Rounds. In Phase One, each club will compete in three matches against team from the opposing league. The points clubs earn in these matches will go rank against their fellow league clubs in a league-specific table. The top four clubs with the most points in both the MLS table and the Liga MX table will advance to the Knockout Rounds.
Points are given as follows:
- 3 points - Win in regulation
- 2 points - Win following penalty kick shootout
- 1 point - Loss following penalty kick shootout
- 0 points - Loss in regulation
Matches will be decided by a penalty kick shootout directly following a tie at the end of regulation. There will be no extra time and no ties in Leagues Cup 2025, as in previous years.
In the Knockout Rounds, the top eight teams are placed in a fixed bracket to compete in the single-game elimination matches beginning with the Quarterfinals (four matches). Quarterfinal matchups will be decided based on Leagues Cup Phase One performance with an inverse order of ranking among the respective league tables. The four advancing clubs will play in Semifinal matches, with the losers of these facing off in a Third Place contest.
Both teams playing in the Leagues Cup Final on August 31, as well as the winner of the Third Place match, qualify for Concacaf Champions Cup 2026 The eventual champion will automatically qualify for the CCC Round of 16.
For the Rapids, the tournament offers a chance to compete for silverware, build on recent international success, and host two high-caliber matchups in front of their home fans. Whether it is a historic first meeting or a return to a familiar rivalry, each opponent adds a layer to Colorado’s growing presence in the MLS and Liga MX landscape.
