New York City FC will face Club Necaxa in the third and final match of Phase One of Leagues Cup, again at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Here is your NYCFC vs Necaxa preview.
• Recent Form (All Comps): L-L-L-W-W
• Record: 2W-0D-1L | 6 points, 8th place in Liga MX
• Scoring Leader: Julián Carranza, 3 goals
• Assist Leaders: 4 players tied with 1 assist: Carranza, Alexis Peña, Francisco Méndez, and Mauro Zaleta
1. Middle of the Liga MX pack
It's been tough sledding for Necaxa even after the 2021 move to a new American-led ownership group that includes celebrities (Eva Longoria, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McIlhenny) and athletes (Mesut Ozil, Justin Verlander), raising the club's profile significantly.
They finished 13th place in Liga MX for the 2025/26 season, a year after they placed 11th in the combined table, only once finishing in the top six of a Liga MX season, the 2025 Clausura, across their last five seasons since the new owners came in.
Los Rayos started 2026/27 and this season's Apertura promisingly, winning their first two games, stoppage-time home wins over Atlante and Monterrey — which beat Inter Miami on the road in Leagues Cup last week — before losing to powerhouse Toluca in the last Liga MX match before Leagues Cup.
Necaxa scored five goals in league play this season, but three of them have come from set pieces, specifically corner kicks. None of those goals were scored by defenders, though, as all three came from forwards.
Despite largely prioritizing set pieces, Necaxa has the second-highest xG in the league (6.80), only behind Cruz Azul's 7.40.
2. Poor run in Leagues Cup
It hasn't been a great showing for Necaxa in Leagues Cup, having lost both games and already been eliminated heading into their third match against New York City FC.
Chicago Fire got a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Necaxa at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois in the tournament opener, with the Liga MX side putting six shots on target but not able to beat Chris Brady. Next, Necaxa fell victim to a Cavan Sullivan breakout for Philadelphia, as the 16-year-old had a goal and an assist to help the Union build a 3-0 lead and ultimately win 3-1, knocking Necaxa out of the running for a spot in the quarterfinals.
