Game: Tijuana Xolos vs Queretaro

Where: Subaru Park, Chester, PA.

When: Sunday, July 30, 2023

Time: 4:30 p.m. PST

TV: Apple TV MLS Season Pass

The Tijuana Xolos face a must-win game in their final Leagues Cup group stage game against Queretaro this Sunday, July 30, at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Club Tijuana suffered a 3-1 loss against Philadelphia Union in their first match of the competition, and now the winner of this game will advance to the Leagues Cup knockout stage, while the other will be eliminated.

There are serious consequences to being eliminated from the Leagues Cup, as all eliminated Liga MX teams will not see any action for about three weeks due to scheduling purposes. This pause has the potential to cause sever hindrance to any Liga MX team getting back into the regular season.

The Aztec Canines will not have an easy task on Sunday, with Nicolas Diaz and Kevin Balanta both out of the match due to red cards. The red cards given to both players in the match against Philadelphia were certainly controversial, but the Leagues Cup did not accept Club Tijuana’s appeal for the suspensions.

Miguel Herrera will now have to field an alternate backline that has the potential to feature players like Rodrigo Godinez and Rafael Fernandez. Herrera started the game against the Union with a five-man backline and is highly unlikely to do so with the suspensions to Balanta and Diaz.

Carlos Gonzalez continues to be the standout for the Xoloitzcuintles, scoring in all of Tijuana’s games this season in all competitions. The Paraguayan striker will be the main player to watch in this match for the Border City Dogs after scoring against Philadelphia and missing a penalty.

Queretaro suffered an even worse 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union in their first Leagues Cup game but have the same opportunity to reach the knockout stage as Club Tijuana. Raul Sandoval scored the lone goal of the match against the Union in what was a very poor display by Los Gallos Blancos. Queretaro features several former Xolos players on their squad, like Joaquin Montecinos, Federico Lertora, Camilo Sanvezzo, and Omar Mendoza.

Montecinos will be an interesting player to watch in this match after he spoke out against Club Tijuana regarding conditions for their players earlier in the season. It will be very interesting to see how Club Tijuana’s players interact with him on the field and if he has any interaction with Miguel Herrera.

Queretaro is not poised to be a contender in this Leagues Cup or in the Liga MX, as this is a very winnable game for the Xoloitzcuintles. This has the potential to be a tough match due to key absences for Miguel Herrera’s squad, but Xolos arguably has the better squad.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.