After opening the tournament with a win over Santos Laguna, New York City FC will next face Cruz Azul in its second Leagues Cup match on Sunday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Here is your NYCFC vs Cruz Azul preview.
• Current Form (All Comps): W-L-W-W
• Record: 2W, 0D, 1L | 6 points, 6th place
• Scoring Leader: Jeremy Márquez, 2 goals
• Assist Leader: Carlos Rodríguez, 2 assists
1. One of the top teams in Mexico
Cruz Azul had a solid 2025/26 season, reaching the semifinals of the Apertura and winning the Clausura. Cruz Azul was also defending champions of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, though they lost to LAFC in the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate.
Overall, Cruz Azul is tied with Club América for the most Champions Cup titles (seven). Historically, La Máquina is the Mexican side with the most matches played in the tournament (119), the most wins (69), the most goals scored (271), and the most points earned (219).
La Máquina also defeated powerhouse Toluca 3-1 on July 25 to win their fourth-ever Campeón de Campeones. Cruz Azul started this season's Apertura with two straight wins but unexpectedly ended their 14-game unbeaten run with a 3-2 loss to Atlante at home in their final league match before Leagues Cup, a game in which they never led.
2. Attacking options
Gabriel Fernández, who joined Cruz Azul from Pumas reportedly for $11.4 million in 2023, scored a team-leading 15 goals in all competitions last season. This season, after scoring in the club's first league match, the 32-year-old veteran is on a four-match scoring drought.
That skid should've ended in Cruz Azul's loss to Atlante, but Fernández missed a penalty. Despite attempting a league-leading 6.90 shots per 90 minutes, he's missed three big chances.
Midfielder José Paradela played a big role in the club's success last season, scoring 12 goals and recording 10 assists in all competitions. He started this season slowly with just one assist, but he was involved in all three goals against Toluca in the Campeón de Campeones, scoring twice and grabbing an assist. Most recently, Paradela scored the game-winning goal against Philadelphia.
