Your Wednesday Kickoff: Who will reach the Leagues Cup final? | MLSSoccer.com (2024)

Leagues Cup semifinals tonight

Orlando City sign midfielder Bruseth

Orlando City SC have acquired midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth from Norwegian top-flight side Kristiansund BK. Bruseth is signed through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028. The 20-year-old Norwegian youth international occupies a U22 Initiative roster spot. Bruseth adds central-midfield depth alongside Peruvian international Wilder Cartagena and Uruguay international César Araújo.

Happy semifinal day to you and yours. Don’t forget, it’s not just a place in the final on the line. Tonight’s winners seal their place in next year's Concacaf Champions Cup. Let’s talk it out.

Columbus Crew vs. Philadelphia Union
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The Union don’t have Tai Baribo.

Any discussion about this team right now feels like it could end there. Baribo picked up a red card in Philly’s quarterfinal win over Mazatlán and now the Union are going up against one of the two best teams in MLS without the guy who’s scored five of their nine goals in this tournament.

That’s only in attack. The Union are going up against one of the best attacking teams in MLS history without their longtime No. 6 José Martinéz too. They’re a team playing with a hand tied behind their back in their biggest game of the year.

In previous years, that sounds like the kind of game the Union would win. They’d roll out an academy kid into both spots and watch them put in a shift while the rest of the team buckled down, made the game as muddy as possible and whomped their way to a result that infuriated fans of the other team.

This year though, we’ve had to throw out many of the narratives we’ve become used to with this team. They haven’t been stifling defensively, they haven’t pummeled teams for the fun of it once they found some momentum and they haven’t had the same chaotic evil ethos that’s made them into a Daily Kickoff favorite (and one of the most disliked sides in the league for whoever plays against them.)

They’re going to need a vintage performance tonight. Andre Blake is going to have to put in the kind of work he did against Mazatlán, the Union center backs are going to need to look like themselves again and whoever steps up in the place of Baribo and Martinéz will have to be at their best. Basically, the Union will either have to make this ugly or find a way to do what most teams can’t: Win a shootout against the Crew.

The good news though is that they’ve been here before. They have plenty of experience in big games. The bad news is that, more often than not, they’ve come up short in those big games, even when they’ve been at full strength. For the Union to make it through, tonight has to be a night where some old narratives return and one big one goes by the wayside.

The Rapids are playing with house money. Regardless of the result tonight, their run to the semifinals will have its place in the club’s lore. Taking down four straight Liga MX sides, including Club León, Toluca and Club América, all in a row is an all-time stretch for any MLS team, let alone the side that came into this one as the second-lowest seed in the tournament.

That said, they’ve caught a few breaks. The wins against Toluca and Club América didn’t come via dominant performances. Toluca put up 22 shots to Colorado’s four. Two of those shots went in for Colorado. Club América put up 20 shots to Colorado’s seven. None of those 20 went in for América and the Rapids advanced on penalties. Those are impressive and resilient results. They aren’t the mark of a team that’s become a world-beater.

But there are no rules saying you can’t pull off the same trick three times in a row. Besides, even if LAFC are the better side tonight, the Rapids are playing by knockout rules. They don’t have to be better. They just have to be good enough.

The question is what approach should they take to be good enough to push this to penalties or even find a win? There’s a lot of danger in sitting deep against LAFC, but there might be even more danger trying to control the ball and push numbers forward. They’re the most ruthless counter-attacking side in the league. If you leave space for Denis Bouanga—especially the Denis Bouanga that shows up for Leagues Cup—you’re going to get hurt.

Maybe the Rapids do try and hit the gas early at least. An early goal could flip the game state and force LAFC to play against the clock too. At that point, Colorado could sink into a shell and make a bet. LAFC may be able to get one goal over the rest of the 90 minutes, but what about two?

That’s all easier said than done of course. The Rapids can’t run the “score a goal” play and call it a night. But it might be worth it to take some early risks. Then again, one bad giveaway (or lackadaisical defensive moment on a goal kick) and suddenly Bouanga is in behind and the game is over.

Keep a close eye on how Chris Armas and company try to approach it. Then consider if they’re even in control of the game enough to actually have an approach. The Rapids are facing a lot of questions tonight. What’s one more upset though?

Houston Dynamo sign Honduran forward Arzú: Houston Dynamo FC have acquired forward Exon Arzú from Honduran side Real España. The 20-year-old Honduran youth international is signed through 2026 with club options for 2027-29. This year, he occupies a U22 Initiative spot as a Season-Ending Injury Replacement Player. He’s been sidelined with an injury since late May.

Good luck out there. People dig the long ball.