This Wednesday, Orlando City SC pause their MLS campaign to face Pumas UNAM in phase one of the 2025 Leagues Cup, beginning a break from league action that will last at least three games. Facing the seven-time Liga MX champions at Inter&Co Stadium, Efraín Juárez’s side are struggling and sit fifteenth in the 2025 Apertura table on just three points.
Nevertheless, Pumas bring plenty of pedigree and star power to the tournament, having added veterans Aaron Ramsey and Keylor Navas this month. City have faced Liga MX teams in the Leagues Cup before. But this marks Orlando’s first-ever clash with Pumas UNAM — the Mexico City giants famous for their distinctive puma-adorned jerseys.
Last time out
On Friday, Orlando City SC made it back-to-back road wins with a stunning second-half turnaround at Lower.com Field. The 1-3 victory snapped Columbus Crew’s 2025 home unbeaten run, ending their four-game winning streak. After weathering an hour of pressure and falling behind to a Diego Rossi penalty (66’), the Lions flipped the game on its head. A Ramiro Enrique brace and a late Martín Ojeda strike sealed one of our best wins of 2025. The turnaround began shortly after a controversial no-call on 72 minutes. Iván Angulo was clearly pulled down by Steven Moreira inside the box. But despite strong appeals, no penalty was awarded by referee Timothy Ford. Undeterred, Angulo picked himself up and delivered a pinpoint cross for Enrique to equalise on 76 minutes. Just three minutes later, the pair linked up again. Ojeda slipped a clever through ball to Angulo down the left, who squared it for Enrique to tap in his second. In stoppage time, Ojeda sealed the game with a ruthless finish. It was his 13th goal of the season and third straight match-winner. Although dominated in possession (65% to 35%) and outshot 19-10, the Lions were far more clinical in the final third. With a goal and two secondary assists, Ojeda (13 goals, 12 assists) extended his club-record goal contribution streak to 10 matches. This saw him surpass Nani (24) for the most in a single season (25). It took grit, patience, and belief – but City stuck to their task and showed great character to come away with three huge points in Ohio. Now on 41 points, our statement win narrows the gap to fourth-placed Columbus (44 points). But fifth-placed Inter Miami (42 points) still have three games in hand on both us and the Crew.
What’s at stake this time?
Eliminated from the 2025 U.S. Open Cup in May, Leagues Cup is one of just two remaining chances to lift silverware this year. For the first time, Orlando City SC will face three Liga MX sides in phase one. This year’s tournament features 36 clubs, including 18 select MLS teams and all 18 Liga MX sides. Running from July 29 to August 31, the competition unfolds alongside the MLS and Liga MX regular seasons, with most Leagues Cup knockout matches played midweek. Each phase one fixture pits MLS against Liga MX opposition, and there are no draws. Matches level at full-time go straight to penalties. Points are awarded as follows – 3 for a regulation win, 1 for a regulation draw, and 1 additional point for a shootout win. Teams earn points in league-specific tables, with the top four clubs from each table advancing to the quarter-finals. Heading into the 2025 Leagues Cup, Orlando proudly boasted MLS’s top-producing DP trio – Martín Ojeda (25 goal contributions), Marco Pašalić (14), and Luis Muriel (12). So creating and finishing chances shouldn’t be a problem! The tournament concludes with the Third Place Match and Final – both set for August 31. These games will determine the three clubs that qualify for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. And this is a sought-after gateway to the FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Opposition danger men
🇲🇽 Jorge Ruvalcaba (2 goals, 0 assists – 2025 Liga MX Apertura)
🇲🇽 Guillermo Martínez (1 goal, 0 assists – 2025 Liga MX Apertura)
🇵🇦 Coco Carrasquilla (0 goals, 2 assists – 2025 Liga MX Apertura)
New opposition faces
🏴 Aaron Ramsey (free agent)
🇨🇴 Álvaro Angulo (Independiente)
🇪🇨 Pedro Vite (Vancouver Whitecaps)
🇨🇷 Keylor Navas (Newell’s Old Boys)
Injuries
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇫🇷 Joran Gerbet (thigh) – out
🇺🇸 Duncan McGuire (shoulder) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
None
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Pumas UNAM vs Orlando City SC
Head-to-head stats
- This is the first time the clubs have faced each other
- Orlando have faced Mexican opposition 8 times in competitive matches – Liga MX 2, Draws 5, Orlando 1
- Orlando have competed 3 times in the Leagues Cup – Round of 32 (2), Round of 16 (0), Quarter-Finals (1), Semi-Finals (0), Winners (0)
- Pumas UNAM have gone 1-0-2 so far this 2025 Liga MX Apertura season
- Martín Ojeda has scored in 3 of Orlando’s last 4 MLS fixtures (4 goals)
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Watching the game
Pumas UNAM vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 01:00 (GMT) on Thursday, July 31.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2025 Leagues Cup fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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