Wednesday will be a historic night at TQL Stadium as FC Cincinnati host Liga MX powerhouse Club Deportivo Guadalajara, “Chivas,” as part of the Leagues Cup Showcase. The Orange and Blue’s first meeting against a Liga MX side takes place at TQL Stadium on Sept. 21 for a 7 p.m. kickoff, and it will be nationally-televised in English on ESPN and in Spanish on Unimás.
Tickets start at just $20 for Wednesday night! Visit the ticket page at fccincinnati.com/tickets, or call 513-977-KICK, to learn more.
For more information on pre-match festivities and activations beginning at 4 p.m. at Washington Park, visit the Matchday Guide. En Español, visita la Guía del Partido, aqui.
FC CINCINNATI vs C.D. GUADALAJARA (CHIVAS) – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 – 7 p.m. ET – TQL STADIUM
HOW TO WATCH
National TV: ESPN, Unimás
Stream: Watch ESPN
Talent: ESPN: Steve Cangialosi (play-by-play), Brian Dunseth (analyst)
Unimás: Jose Luis Lopez Salido (play-by-play), Luis Omar Tapia (play-by-play), Diego Balado (analyst), Michele Giannone (sideline)
Be sure to follow @FCCincinnati on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates from the game.
LEAGUES CUP SHOWCASE
The Leagues Cup Showcase series serves as a preview to the highly-anticipated 2023 Leagues Cup. The Leagues Cup will be a monumental new chapter for North American soccer, beginning next summer, where all of the clubs from the top two first division leagues in North America -- Major League Soccer and LIGA MX -- will compete in a completely reimagined Leagues Cup: an annual, month-long, tournament. Both leagues will pause their respective seasons for one month during the summer to play Leagues Cup, showcasing the soccer infrastructure and capabilities in the region in the years leading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico -- the first World Cup to feature 48 countries.
FC Cincinnati host one of five Showcase matches this year in anticipation and preview for next summer’s tournament. FCC hosts Chivas and Nashville SC faces Club América on Wednesday, while Real Salt Lake hosts Atlas FC on Thursday.
The three Showcases this week join the previously played Aug. 3 doubleheader in Los Angeles which featured LA Galaxy vs. Chivas and LAFC vs. Club América at SoFi Stadium in front of 71,189 fans, a crowd larger than February’s Super Bowl.
HISTORY OF CHIVAS
Chivas is one of Mexico’s most historic, and successful, soccer clubs. Founded in 1906, Chivas trails only C.F. Pachuca as the country’s oldest club. Chivas was one of 10 clubs to establish the top division of Mexican club soccer and are one of two teams that have never been relegated from the top division (Club América).
Chivas have won 12 league titles, their first coming during the 1956-1957 campaign. The title began an era of dominance where Chivas won seven titles over the next 13 years. Chivas also hold claim to seven Campeón de Campeones titles, a Mexican club record. Other club honors include one Super Copa MX and two international titles.
Chivas have also produced a number of former or current Mexican players who featured in Major League Soccer including Javier “Chicharito” Hernández (LA Galaxy), Carlos Salcido (Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC), Marco Fabián (Philadelphia Union) and Omar Bravo (Sporting Kansas City).
SCOUTING CHIVAS (5-4-7, 22 PTS., 7TH LIGA MX)
Chivas opened ‘Torneo Apertura’, the first half of the Liga MX season, in a slump. A slow start saw Chivas draw six of their first eight matches, scoring just five goals over that span. Chivas’ first win came against Necaxa, a 4-0 result, a month and a half into the season.
The win against Necaxa sparked an impressive run for Chivas who would go on to win four of their next five league matches, highlighted by a 1-0 win over second-place Monterrey. Chivas enter Wednesday’s Leagues Cup Showcase match against Cincinnati having lost their last two matches, though.
Chivas’ strength lies in their ability to defend. Chivas are hard to break down, having conceded just 15 goals in 16 league matches, tied for the third-best mark in Liga MX. Chivas have also kept seven clean sheets, tied for the second most in the league.
Chivas is managed by Ricardo Cadena after taking over for Marcelo Michel Leaño following the conclusion of the Clausura 2022 Tournament. Cadena began his professional career with Chivas making 69 appearances for the club and representing the Mexican National Team at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992.
Chivas squared off against LA Galaxy in a Leagues Cup Showcase match at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 3, losing by a score line of 2-0.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
THE UNBEATEN ORANGE AND BLUE – Wednesday night will not count for FC Cincinnati towards the club’s first MLS Playoffs push, but FC Cincinnati could hardly be coming into the international friendly in stronger form.
FC Cincinnati are unbeaten in 10 straight games, the longest active streak in MLS. It’s tied for the longest streak at any point this season in MLS with the New England Revolution (April 30 – July 3) and the Portland Timbers (June 18 – August 6).
THE FIRST MEETING WITH LIGA MX – Wednesday marks FC Cincinnati’s first-ever meeting against a Liga MX side, an occurrence that will become more regular beginning next summer with the 2023 Leagues Cup. FCC represent MLS which has competed strong against Liga MX in international competition.
Just this year, Seattle Sounders FC defeated Pumas UNAM to clinch the 2022 Concacaf Champions League title, New York City FC defeated Atlas FC to capture the 2022 Campeones Cup, the battle of the previous year’s league winners, of which MLS has won three straight.
Of course, it will not be the first time a U.S.–Mexico match has taken place at TQL Stadium. Last November, the USMNT defeated El Tri in FIFA World Cup Qualification, 2-0.
NON-MLS MATCH – FC Cincinnati play a non-MLS regular season match for the third time this season, having gone 1-1 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Both of those contests saw a rotated lineup, which gave way for several impressive individual performances. One such case was Álvaro Barreal, who had made just one start under Head Coach Pat Noonan prior to the Open Cup Third Round match against Pittsburgh Riverhounds, where the Argentine scored a brace to advance FCC. Since then, Barreal has tallied 13 goal contributions in MLS competition.
One update to FCC’s roster for Wednesday will be the addition of FC Cincinnati 2 defender Kai Thomas. The former FCC Academy product appeared in all 24 games in MLS NEXT Pro competition for FCC 2.
NOONAN’S TAKE
Head Coach Pat Noonan on what to expect from Chivas
“A quality opponent. Again, there's uncertainty as to who's going to be on the field with where the game falls in the international window coming up. And you know, a lot of times it's an opportunity for some new faces to step on the field. So a little bit unpredictable in that regard. But I've always respected the teams and the players of Liga MX because there's a lot of talent. And for fans that might not understand really what their league brings to the table, you see a lot of technical players, a lot of guys that are comfortable on the ball, [they] can break you down 1v1. But they compete, they compete hard. It means something to them when they step on the field against MLS opponents and so I think they'll see a very competitive Chivas side and regardless of who's on the field, they're going to see a quality Chivas side.”
2023 FC Cincinnati Season Ticket Memberships are now available. Season Ticket Members are guaranteed the best seats at the best prices for every match at TQL Stadium in 2023, in addition to access to exclusive events, discounts on merchandise and more!
2023 Season Tickets are on sale now at fccincinnati.com/tickets. Fans looking for more information can contact a dedicated FC Cincinnati representative at (513) 977-5435 or e-mail tickets@fccincinnati.com.
Single match tickets to FC Cincinnati’s final home game on October 1 against Chicago Fire FC are available, head to fccincinnati.com/tickets or call 513-977-KICK, to learn more.
FC Cincinnati are playing their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
