A new competition, but a familiar foe. The Portland Timbers open play in the 2023 Leagues Cup Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes at Providence Park, kicking off an exciting new tournament.
Following an unforgettable match, both on the field and in club history, against Columbus Crew SC last weekend, the Portland Timbers enter a new era of international competition in Leagues Cup. And to kick off the tournament, the Timbers will face a familiar MLS opponent in the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Providence Park.
Leagues Cup is a World Cup-style tournament, featuring 47 clubs from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX. Both Portland and San Jose – along with Mexico’s reigning champs Tigres UANL – are in the West 1 Group. A journey awaits the Green & Gold.
Leagues Cup brings a new challenge to the Rose City. Here are some notes and numbers to know ahead of Leagues Cup:
30
The number of players on the Timbers’ Leagues Cup roster, which was announced Wednesday. The club’s roster includes new defender Miguel Araujo as well as four players from Timbers2. Check out the Timbers’ Leagues Cup roster.
15
For Leagues Cup, MLS and Liga MX teams have been divided into 15 groups, with three clubs – a mix of MLS and Liga MX clubs – per group.
2
The top two clubs from each of the 15 groups will advance to the Round of 32 and will join MLS’s Los Angeles FC and Liga MX’s Pachuca in the knockout rounds.
0
During the Leagues Cup Group Stage, no matches will end in a tie. Each team receives one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes, however a winner will be decided in a subsequent penalty shootout and earn an additional point.
77
From the opening group matches through to the tournament’s final, there will be a total of 77 matches played during Leagues Cup over the next four weeks.
