2026 Leagues Cup update: What to watch and who to root for in the final three days of 'Phase One'
Confused about what needs to happen for Austin FC to get into the 2026 Leagues Cup knockout rounds? You're not alone. Let us try to break it down for you.
With its impressive 3-0 win against Puebla, Austin FC found itself at the top of the MLS side of the Leagues Cup table on Sunday night once all results were in. Even though they look tied with Charlotte, Verde won out on the 5th (and next-to-last!) tiebreaker of Fair Play points thanks to only accumulating three yellow cards to Charlotte's four.
I guess we should be glad Myrto Uzuni kept his shirt on last night!
So let's say you care more about Austin's Leagues Cup run than you did 24 hours ago and want to know what to watch (and why) while you wait for Thursday's historic first meeting between Verde and the Águilas of Club América. That matchday is the end of the final three days of what organizers are calling Phase One, rather than "the group stages," which is what this portion of the tournament really is, as you know it from the World Cup you just watched.
We've saved you a lot of annoying Table Math and broken it down by day for you. Note that all of this is curated relative just what an Austin-focused viewer cares about, specifically relative Verde securing one of the top four spots.
I realized something interesting while compiling this such that I've included an interesting trail of breadcrumbs I promise will pay off if you follow them.
We are not treating any teams below 8th place in the MLS table as realistic contenders, despite MLS teams nine through 16 not being mathematically eliminated just yet. What it would take for any of those teams to stay in is so superhuman that I hope Leagues Cup is looking at how they need to further tweak their format because of how this table looks.
Here's how the table looks by the way (for the top eight MLS teams). It looks like it's alphabetically arranged, but we promise it's not:
Take a breath in advance and lean into the expectation that Austin can and must beat Club América. A day ago, did you think you'd be basking in the afterglow of a Myrto Uzuni hat trick win?
Tuesday, August 11
There are three matches that are must-watches or must-monitor for results and a later one that is the longest shot in the Top 8...and one more to maybe watch if you're already staying up.
At 6:30 pm CT, you'll want to dual-screen Charlotte-Pachuca and Columbus-Pumas. Starting at 7 pm CT, add FC Cincinnati-Atlas if you have the ability to Multi-screen or MultiView (more on this in a bit).
All three of these MLS sides are on the same six points and two wins that Austin is on. The best-case scenario is that all three of them lose — but that's unlikely, because they are all playing against Liga MX teams that have already been 100% mathematically eliminated, on top of all these MLS sides being in really good form.
The good news is that even if they all win outright and surmount necessary tiebreakers to jump even an Austin that topples the Gigante of Gigantes to hit nine points, do not assume these teams winning means Austin is in some new sort of trouble.
Austin always had to go through Club América, and they've been preparing for exactly this. Sure would be cool if these teams all encountered rough sailing, but don't bet on it and hope for a nice surprise.
If you want ... at 8:30 pm CT, long shot No. 8 (per the MLS table) Real Salt Lake kicks off against Liga MX No. 2 FC Juarez. For RSL to have a realistic chance, Juarez would have to have a crazy collapse and all seven teams above RSL on the MLS side would have to have wildly improbably bad third round games, including the three above. It's likely that this game won't matter for RSL by the time it kicks, but it ought to be a good one to watch if you stay up a little late on weeknights.
If you do really want to be a sicko and watch RSL/Juarez...maybe turn on Tigres-Vancouver when it starts at 9 pm CT. Tigres will be in "play for their lives" mode (but could still luck into the knockout rounds).
Wednesday, August 12
Two late-night games will tell most of the remaining "results elsewhere" story in advance of Austin's big Thursday showdown, and I think one is way more interesting than the other. For reasons I'll get into in a bit ... consider watching Miami-León at 6:30 pmCT while you wait for the Austin-impacting matches to kick off. It has nothing to do with helping Austin advance or not directly. Maybe even ... Nashville-Monterrey at 7 pm CT?
If Tuesday's results put Charlotte, Cincy, and Columbus all on nine points, you really do not need to watch either of these next two...
...unless, that is, you enjoy the prospect of watching Dallas suffer in advance of coming to Q2 on Sunday.
Regardless of how Tuesday's results affect the table and make these more important (or pointless) for Austin's needs, these matches overlap, so if watching one, you might as well dual-screen or MultiView them.
9 pm CT finds FC Dallas playing Toluca in Toluca. Half an hour later at 9:30 pm CT, expect LAFC to demolish Querétaro, who are already eliminated.
Dallas are the lowest of the "six pointers" in the MLS table at 6th place, and may be facing a yet-steeper hill based on Tuesday's results or an abruptly easier ladder to climb if things get nuts. They don't have any Goals Against, which helps them ... but they are two behind all other teams above them in Goals For.
Toluca are on only three points and again, will be playing for their lives at home for pride at bare minimum. If Miami beats León earlier this same evening, Toluca would need nothing less than a win plus stacking on Goal Differential. Dallas winning this in México at elevation would be the upset of the tournament by far.
Resting at 8,750 feet above sea level, Toluca's home stadium is alternately nicknamed "La Bombonera" ("The Candy Box") or "El Infierno" ("Hell"). When inside your stadium live two nicknames, one is meant for your fans and the other, your unfortunate opponents!
Thursday, August 13
At 8 pm CT (half an hour after Austin kicks off), we have 3rd place tablemates Chicago Fire and Cruz Azul facing off. This is one of the bigger question marks, and if it ends up screwing over Austin, we can thank Santos Laguna for not having held onto their early 1-0 lead against the Fire on Sunday night. Had that held, Chicago would be in the "no way in hell" three-point range like way too many MLS teams and no threat to Verde's knockout hopes.
Austin could knock out Club América on Thursday
There, I said it.
If some totally plausible results fall in line, Austin FC would knock the tournament favorites out prior to the knockout stage even starting. This could be a truly insane week to be an Austin fan.
Here's what it would take in what I consider the Best Case Result:
IF Austin wins outright against Club América ... AND three out of the following happen
Juarez draw or win outright against RSL (Tuesday, 8:30 pm CT)
Tigres win outright against Vancouver (Tuesday, 9 pm CT)
León draw or win outright against Miami (Wednesday, 6:30 pm CT)
Monterrey win outright against Nashville and outdo Club América's goal differential (Wednesday, 7 pm CT)
Toluca win outright against Dallas and outdo Club América's goal differential (Wednesday, 9 pm CT)
Cruz Azul draw or win outright against Chicago (Thursday, 8 pm CT)
Those draws aren't contingent on winning or losing the PK shootouts from those draws, either. Monterrey and Toluca making up that goal differential are the least-likely of those scenarios as they look now, but could happen. CCC qualification means a lot for the Mexican teams who don't already have it like Monterrey. América, Cruz Azul, Tigres, and Toluca have already qualified (hat tip to Seth Rau for reminding me of this dynamic at play).
There are also scenarios in which other results mean that Austin could draw Club América and then win or lose a PK shootout and advance on eight (or seven) points, with some combination of Juarez/Tigres/León/Cruz Azul results breaking the right way, but we said we were avoiding Table Math, so we'll cross that bridge as we head toward Thursday.
One last thing on watching multiple matches simultaneously...
How to MultiView (with and without) an AppleTV 4K "box"
I told you to maybe consider watching multiple things at once, and you may be able to do this and not have any idea you could have been all along. If you already live that MultiView life on your Apple TV or iPad, you're done reading!
One of my favorite features of the Apple TV 4K "set top box" is that on multi-match nights where the games overlap, I can put two to four matches on my TV all at once and hot-swap between them. If you have one of the last few iterations of Apple's "Apple TV 4K" box that connects to your TV, it supports this, and MultiView is awesome.
In addition to just putting up to four live games on screen at once, it lets you move around which match is where, and even rework the size and shape of your little boxes based on what you want to focus on to make the best use of as much of your screen as possible. Here is Apple's annoyingly formatted article for how to navigate it if you have one of these little TV-connected things.
You might be saying, "Oh, I have Apple TV right; that's what I use to watch MLS."
Here is where I have to emphasize that I come not to bury Apple TV, but to praise it. "Apple TV" is one of the most needlessly confusing names for too many things in Apple's entire product ecosystem (and that's saying something!).
So yes, to have access to MLS games, you have a subscription to a streaming service called "Apple TV," right?
"Apple TV" is the same thing they call a little black box they sell that one plugs into a flatscreen TV set (not made by Apple) to watch Apple's streaming service called "Apple TV" (and myriad other streaming things). Also it is the name of an app you may use on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or an Apple TV box connected to your TV.
You could be "watching Apple TV" and mean the physical box, MLS matches or episodes of Ted Lasso on their streaming service, or something on a completely non-Apple streaming service that you subscribe to through Apple Channels in the Apple TV app on your Apple TV physical box.
Apple thinks this isn't a problem, and I think it's bonkers.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Winning 3-0 and setting up a marquee match to get to the final eight of a tournament are positives Austin FC can take away from Sunday's match. But Davy Arnaud thinks there's still work to be done with his new style of play.
Austin FC played a complete match against Puebla on Sunday, getting a hat trick from Myrto Uzuni and securing a shutout. While the knockout round is now a distinct possibility, Club América awaits for Thursday's huge match.
Austin FC has now played four matches implementing Davy Arnaud's new style. While the league matches don't show much statistical movement, Verde's most recent match provides some encouragement.
For one night, the newly instituted inverted wingback system appeared to work well for Austin FC. In winning, the team improved its chances for making a Leagues Cup run.
With its impressive 3-0 win against Puebla, Austin FC found itself at the top of the MLS side of the Leagues Cup table on Sunday night once all results were in. Even though they look tied with Charlotte, Verde won out on the 5th (and next-to-last!) tiebreaker of Fair Play points thanks to only accumulating three yellow cards to Charlotte's four.
I guess we should be glad Myrto Uzuni kept his shirt on last night!
So let's say you care more about Austin's Leagues Cup run than you did 24 hours ago and want to know what to watch (and why) while you wait for Thursday's historic first meeting between Verde and the Águilas of Club América. That matchday is the end of the final three days of what organizers are calling Phase One, rather than "the group stages," which is what this portion of the tournament really is, as you know it from the World Cup you just watched.
We've saved you a lot of annoying Table Math and broken it down by day for you. Note that all of this is curated relative just what an Austin-focused viewer cares about, specifically relative Verde securing one of the top four spots.
I realized something interesting while compiling this such that I've included an interesting trail of breadcrumbs I promise will pay off if you follow them.
We are not treating any teams below 8th place in the MLS table as realistic contenders, despite MLS teams nine through 16 not being mathematically eliminated just yet. What it would take for any of those teams to stay in is so superhuman that I hope Leagues Cup is looking at how they need to further tweak their format because of how this table looks.
Here's how the table looks by the way (for the top eight MLS teams). It looks like it's alphabetically arranged, but we promise it's not:
Take a breath in advance and lean into the expectation that Austin can and must beat Club América. A day ago, did you think you'd be basking in the afterglow of a Myrto Uzuni hat trick win?
Tuesday, August 11
There are three matches that are must-watches or must-monitor for results and a later one that is the longest shot in the Top 8...and one more to maybe watch if you're already staying up.
At 6:30 pm CT, you'll want to dual-screen Charlotte-Pachuca and Columbus-Pumas. Starting at 7 pm CT, add FC Cincinnati-Atlas if you have the ability to Multi-screen or MultiView (more on this in a bit).
All three of these MLS sides are on the same six points and two wins that Austin is on. The best-case scenario is that all three of them lose — but that's unlikely, because they are all playing against Liga MX teams that have already been 100% mathematically eliminated, on top of all these MLS sides being in really good form.
The good news is that even if they all win outright and surmount necessary tiebreakers to jump even an Austin that topples the Gigante of Gigantes to hit nine points, do not assume these teams winning means Austin is in some new sort of trouble.
Austin always had to go through Club América, and they've been preparing for exactly this. Sure would be cool if these teams all encountered rough sailing, but don't bet on it and hope for a nice surprise.
If you want ... at 8:30 pm CT, long shot No. 8 (per the MLS table) Real Salt Lake kicks off against Liga MX No. 2 FC Juarez. For RSL to have a realistic chance, Juarez would have to have a crazy collapse and all seven teams above RSL on the MLS side would have to have wildly improbably bad third round games, including the three above. It's likely that this game won't matter for RSL by the time it kicks, but it ought to be a good one to watch if you stay up a little late on weeknights.
If you do really want to be a sicko and watch RSL/Juarez...maybe turn on Tigres-Vancouver when it starts at 9 pm CT. Tigres will be in "play for their lives" mode (but could still luck into the knockout rounds).
Wednesday, August 12
Two late-night games will tell most of the remaining "results elsewhere" story in advance of Austin's big Thursday showdown, and I think one is way more interesting than the other. For reasons I'll get into in a bit ... consider watching Miami-León at 6:30 pm CT while you wait for the Austin-impacting matches to kick off. It has nothing to do with helping Austin advance or not directly. Maybe even ... Nashville-Monterrey at 7 pm CT?
If Tuesday's results put Charlotte, Cincy, and Columbus all on nine points, you really do not need to watch either of these next two...
...unless, that is, you enjoy the prospect of watching Dallas suffer in advance of coming to Q2 on Sunday.
Regardless of how Tuesday's results affect the table and make these more important (or pointless) for Austin's needs, these matches overlap, so if watching one, you might as well dual-screen or MultiView them.
9 pm CT finds FC Dallas playing Toluca in Toluca. Half an hour later at 9:30 pm CT, expect LAFC to demolish Querétaro, who are already eliminated.
Dallas are the lowest of the "six pointers" in the MLS table at 6th place, and may be facing a yet-steeper hill based on Tuesday's results or an abruptly easier ladder to climb if things get nuts. They don't have any Goals Against, which helps them ... but they are two behind all other teams above them in Goals For.
Toluca are on only three points and again, will be playing for their lives at home for pride at bare minimum. If Miami beats León earlier this same evening, Toluca would need nothing less than a win plus stacking on Goal Differential. Dallas winning this in México at elevation would be the upset of the tournament by far.
Resting at 8,750 feet above sea level, Toluca's home stadium is alternately nicknamed "La Bombonera" ("The Candy Box") or "El Infierno" ("Hell"). When inside your stadium live two nicknames, one is meant for your fans and the other, your unfortunate opponents!
Thursday, August 13
At 8 pm CT (half an hour after Austin kicks off), we have 3rd place tablemates Chicago Fire and Cruz Azul facing off. This is one of the bigger question marks, and if it ends up screwing over Austin, we can thank Santos Laguna for not having held onto their early 1-0 lead against the Fire on Sunday night. Had that held, Chicago would be in the "no way in hell" three-point range like way too many MLS teams and no threat to Verde's knockout hopes.
Austin could knock out Club América on Thursday
There, I said it.
If some totally plausible results fall in line, Austin FC would knock the tournament favorites out prior to the knockout stage even starting. This could be a truly insane week to be an Austin fan.
Here's what it would take in what I consider the Best Case Result:
Those draws aren't contingent on winning or losing the PK shootouts from those draws, either. Monterrey and Toluca making up that goal differential are the least-likely of those scenarios as they look now, but could happen. CCC qualification means a lot for the Mexican teams who don't already have it like Monterrey. América, Cruz Azul, Tigres, and Toluca have already qualified (hat tip to Seth Rau for reminding me of this dynamic at play).
There are also scenarios in which other results mean that Austin could draw Club América and then win or lose a PK shootout and advance on eight (or seven) points, with some combination of Juarez/Tigres/León/Cruz Azul results breaking the right way, but we said we were avoiding Table Math, so we'll cross that bridge as we head toward Thursday.
One last thing on watching multiple matches simultaneously...
How to MultiView (with and without) an AppleTV 4K "box"
I told you to maybe consider watching multiple things at once, and you may be able to do this and not have any idea you could have been all along. If you already live that MultiView life on your Apple TV or iPad, you're done reading!
One of my favorite features of the Apple TV 4K "set top box" is that on multi-match nights where the games overlap, I can put two to four matches on my TV all at once and hot-swap between them. If you have one of the last few iterations of Apple's "Apple TV 4K" box that connects to your TV, it supports this, and MultiView is awesome.
In addition to just putting up to four live games on screen at once, it lets you move around which match is where, and even rework the size and shape of your little boxes based on what you want to focus on to make the best use of as much of your screen as possible. Here is Apple's annoyingly formatted article for how to navigate it if you have one of these little TV-connected things.
The great news is that if you don't have Apple's little TV box thing, but do own an iPad ... you can do MultiView on an iPad. Here is the support article for how to do it on an iPad.
You might be saying, "Oh, I have Apple TV right; that's what I use to watch MLS."
Here is where I have to emphasize that I come not to bury Apple TV, but to praise it. "Apple TV" is one of the most needlessly confusing names for too many things in Apple's entire product ecosystem (and that's saying something!).
So yes, to have access to MLS games, you have a subscription to a streaming service called "Apple TV," right?
"Apple TV" is the same thing they call a little black box they sell that one plugs into a flatscreen TV set (not made by Apple) to watch Apple's streaming service called "Apple TV" (and myriad other streaming things). Also it is the name of an app you may use on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or an Apple TV box connected to your TV.
You could be "watching Apple TV" and mean the physical box, MLS matches or episodes of Ted Lasso on their streaming service, or something on a completely non-Apple streaming service that you subscribe to through Apple Channels in the Apple TV app on your Apple TV physical box.
Apple thinks this isn't a problem, and I think it's bonkers.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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