There are only four teams left in the 2025 Leagues Cup, and all of them come from Major League Soccer. Inter Miami will host Orlando City, and LA Galaxy will square off against the Seattle Sounders in the semi-finals this Wednesday evening.
These four Major League Soccer teams secured their Final Four spots by beating their Liga MX counterparts in the quarter-finals. Inter Miami and LA Galaxy won 2-1 against Tigres UANL and Pachuca, respectively, while Orlando City and the Seattle Sounders won their penalty shootouts against Toluca and Puebla.
No team is highly favoured in the SBOTOP Leagues Cup 2025 odds, so it’s a four-way race for the prestigious trophy. Either way, football fans are in for a huge treat, as they will get their fair share of Leagues Cup 2025 highlights.
Inter Miami antsy about Messi’s fitness
The 2-1 result flattered Inter Miami, as they had a rough time against Tigres UANL. Head coach Javier Mascherano was forced to coach from the stands after receiving a red card on the touchline. Lionel Messi was out due to a minor injury, and Leagues Cup all-time assist leader Jordi Alba had to be subbed off in the second half after picking up a knock.
Despite the setbacks, Inter Miami won the game. Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the first half with a penalty before Angel Correa equalised for the Tigres after the hour mark. Suarez eventually completed his brace after converting yet another penalty in the 89th minute. The win not only avenges last year’s defeat to Tigres but also sends the Herons to the semi-finals, where Messi could be fit enough to compete.
After beating their Liga MX counterparts, Inter Miami drew 1-1 against DC United in Major League Soccer. Mascherano deployed a rotated squad, with Messi, Alba, Sergio Busquets absent, and Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul off the bench. Baltasar Rodriguez netted his first Major League Soccer goal and was named to the league’s Team of the Matchday.
The Herons continue to sweat on Messi’s fitness ahead of their Leagues Cup match against Orlando City. For now, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is considered questionable.
Orlando City and Seattle Sounders survive in the penalties
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was arguably the Man of the Match in his team’s win over defending Liga MX champions Toluca in the Leagues Cup quarter-finals. The 35-year-old Peruvian made crucial saves in regulation and in the penalty shootout, and to cap it all off, Gallese calmly slotted home the winning penalty to send Orlando to the next round. This marks the first time Orlando City has made it to the Leagues Cup semi-finals.
However, Orlando City couldn’t build off their latest win, as they were beaten 5-1 by Nashville in Major League Soccer last Sunday. Luis Muriel scored a late consolation goal for his 12th of the season, but was sent off in the 81st minute. The Colombian is expected to be available against Inter Miami, though.
The Seattle Sounders eked out a hard-fought win after a 90-minute stalemate and nail-biting penalty shootout against Puebla last week. Paul Rothrock, Obed Vargas, and Pedro de la Vega had their chances to put the Sounders ahead in regulation, but to no avail.
The match turned at the 76th minute when Danny Musovski was shown a yellow card for a foul on Nicolas Diaz, which was upgraded to red due to dissent, reducing Seattle to 10 men. But despite being a man down, Seattle held their nerve and converted four successive penalties in the shootout while Nicolas Diaz’s miss proved costly for Puebla.
The Seattle Sounders head to Wednesday in good form, as they’re fresh from a 5-2 win over Sporting KC yesterday. Musovski, who was sent off against Puebla, scored a hat-trick, while Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and Snyder Brunell added goals of their own.
LA Galaxy extend their surprise run
Marco Reus showed he still has it after leading LA Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over Pachuca last week. Daniel Aceves scored an own goal in the 27th minute off a corner kick to give LA the lead, and Reus got on the scoresheet 10 minutes later.
LA Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Micovic also deserves a shoutout for denying Pachuca their chances to get back into the match despite increased pressure in the second half. Alemao scored for the Liga MX side in stoppage time.
LA followed it up with a 3-0 win over Colorado to end their winless run in Major League Soccer. Harbor Michael Tarczynski-Miller, Elijah Wynder, and Gabriel Pec had one goal each in the much-needed victory.
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