Just three days after playing San Diego to a draw, your intrepid Loons returned to Allianz Field to kick off Phase One of Leagues Cup 2026 against Liga MX’s FC Juárez. With both teams dropping points at home in regular-season play, the tournament presented a chance to take some risks and make some statements, and ideally build up some confidence on the home turf for the Black and Blue — but that chance slipped through their fingers.
With schedule congestion in mind, Alec Smir stepped in for Drake Callender in goal, and Devin Padelford started in back, shifting captain Morris Duggan to the center. Carlos Harvey started in the midfield, bracketing Owen Gene with Tomás Chancalay on the other side and cementing the Loons’ new 5-3-2 formation.
Juárez logged a shot right off the bat on a corner from José Luis Rodríguez, but a nudge toward the crossbar from Smir and some clever defending in the box kept the scoreline blank. As both teams fought to get on the board, Juárez maintained majority possession in the early going, but Minnesota was more intentional on the ball, using the combination of Gene, Harvey, and Chancalay to weave through Los Bravos’ defenses.
Unfortunately for the home squad, Juárez was the team to open the scoring. Rodríguez’s well-timed long ball from the left allowed Guilherme Castilho to slip behind Padelford and nail a bouncing header in the box, sending the ball just past a reaching Smir’s fingertips.
Chancalay stepped up to equalize in the 34th minute, scoring his second goal in as many games, when Carlos Harvey’s smooth touch allowed Gene to get the ball up the wing. Chancalay put on the speed, outpacing Denzell García on the wing, then threading a powerful shot between two more defenders, curling the ball past Jurado in a stunning shot with his off foot from the right side of the box.
The Loons only had a few minutes to bask in the glory of Chancalay’s goal. Juárez responded in kind four minutes later, as Jairo Torres sent a quick ball up to Óscar Estupiñán in the box to slide another past Smir and give the visitors the lead. The goal came off another defensive slip-up, as Estupiñán got the jump on Duggan to get Smir one-on-one in close quarters.
Chancalay aimed for another attempt from the right in the 45th minute but went just wide, and as the clock ticked down with a one-goal deficit, things were getting heated on the pitch.
Kelvin Yeboah’s stoppage-time free kick made it past the wall but listed just a bit too far to the right. The Loons subsequently failed to capitalize on a pair of corner kicks, and the Black and Blue went into the locker room a goal behind.
The boys came back with a fire behind them, logging two shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half — Jefferson Diáz’s header was saved by Jurado, and Yeboah’s right-footed shot from the box was blocked by a quick-footed Jesús Murillo. No matter how the Loons tried to break through Juárez’s ranks, however, something wasn’t clicking in the final third.
Estupiñán had another phenomenal chance for Juárez in the 58th minute, making a run off a pass from the back and meeting Smir as he came off his line, but sent the ball too far to the right. With half an hour left on the clock, Knowles opted for a triple substitution, replacing Yeboah, Kyle Duncan, and Gene with Mauricio González, Wil Trapp, and Joaquín Pereyra.
Anthony Markanich and Padelford picked up back-to-back yellows as the game got even more physical, but didn’t allow Juárez to capitalize on their set pieces. Minnesota, though, was also notably failing to make the most of their numerous set piece opportunities. Despite their reputation, nothing had come of the squad’s seven corners or several throw-ins and free kicks.
Minnesota tried to mix things up with more substitutions in the 77th and 81st minutes, with Marcus Caldeira making his Leagues Cup debut and Dominik Fitz replacing Padelford. Caldeira got his chance in the 83rd minute, when Markanich threaded a pass behind Jurado to find the striker at the top of the box, but Caldeira’s slide was just inches too short to nudge the ball into the net. He went for it again in the final minute of stoppage time, but his shot went just wide, and the whistle blew on a 1-2 loss for the home team.
As has been consistent with the Loons as of late, the remainder of the match was a story of squandered chances and risks that didn’t quite pay off. Minnesota has a chance to redeem themselves against Tigres UANL on Friday, August 7, but the boys will have to make some changes if they want to turn this winless streak around. After losing their Phase One opener, the Loons need two decisive victories in a row to have any shot of advancing in the tournament.
