The Colorado Rapids will hit the road for a crucial Leagues Cup match with Liga MX side Cruz Azul on Thursday night. Kickoff at Dignity Health Sports Park is set for 6:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
With this being the third and final Phase One match of Leagues Cup 2025 for both of these sides, every point will be crucial when it comes to the tournament’s standings. In this year’s edition of Leagues Cup, the top four teams of each league based on record following the three Phase One matches will advance to the knockout stages. Heading into Thursday, the Rapids sit in 10th place in the MLS standings but are on the outside of the top four by three points. On the other end, Cruz Azul are ranked 14th and have been mathematically eliminated from advancing.
The Rapids will look to close out Phase One of the tournament the same way they started. In game one for Colorado, the club defeated Club Santos Laguna 2-1 after facing a one goal deficit in the first half. A Rafael Navarro brace in the second half propelled the club to all three points in the contest heading into their second match against Club Tijuana. In that match, the Rapids were unable to find the same success as they did against Santos. Colorado ended up falling to Tijuana 2-1, leading to an all-important game three against Cruz Azul on Thursday.
Up to this point in the tournament, the reigning Concacaf Champions Cup winners have had a shaky road and were unable to win either of their first two matchups. Cruz Azul opened their tournament campaign against Seattle, where they fell to the Sounders 7-0. Following that, Cruz Azul bounced back in their next contest against the LA Galaxy. The two sides played to a 2-2 scoreline after regulation, leading to a shootout to determine the extra point in the standings. From there Cruz Azul came out on top following nine rounds, defeating the Galaxy 8-7.
Thursday will mark the first time that these two clubs have faced off in their history, with Colorado getting set to go up against one of the top Liga MX sides in the league’s history. Since their founding in 1927, the club has won nine league titles and has lifted the Concacaf Champions Cup seven times, with their most recent coming this year after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps back in June.
Following the match, the Rapids will resume play for the MLS regular season with a match away at Minnesota United FC on Sunday, August 10. If the club were to advance to the Knockout Round of Leagues Cup, the first Quarterfinal match would be played on either August 19 or 20.
