Cruz Azul’s U.S. nightmare resurfaces with LAFC standing in the way

Cruz Azul is back in the latter stages of the Concacaf Champions Cup, but this time the challenge feels different. In the quarterfinals, La Máquina must travel to the United States, a place where positive results in official matches have been hard to come by in recent years.

Just hours before the first leg against Los Angeles FC, Cruz Azul finds itself confronting a troubling pattern. The Mexico City club has gone 10 straight official games in the United States without a win.

A long drought north of the border

Most of those matches have come in Leagues Cup play. Cruz Azul has not beaten a U.S.-based opponent on American soil since 2019, when it defeated Toronto FC 3-1 in a match played in Tampa, Florida.

That game was relocated due to pandemic-related restrictions in Canada at the time, making it an unusual setting for what remains Cruz Azul’s last away win against an MLS opponent in the United States.

Leagues Cup struggles pile up

Since the expanded Leagues Cup received full backing from Concacaf, Cruz Azul’s performances in the competition have been consistently disappointing, especially against MLS teams.

In 2023, the club lost to Inter Miami and settled for draws against Atlanta United and Charlotte FC, results that led to an early exit. The following year brought more frustration, with additional draws against Charlotte, the Philadelphia Union, and Orlando City.

By 2025, things hit a low point. Cruz Azul suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in club history, a 7-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders. The team was eliminated after further draws against the LA Galaxy and the Colorado Rapids. In Leagues Cup play, Cruz Azul has yet to secure a single positive result against MLS opposition during this stretch.

Even in victory, no breakthrough

Even during its run to the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup title, Cruz Azul could not solve its U.S. struggles. The team managed only a hard-fought 0-0 draw in Seattle before finishing the job at home in Mexico.

That result now feels more like a warning sign than a turning point.

Los Angeles presents new U.S. test

Now, Cruz Azul returns to the United States with its title defense on the line. The first leg at BMO Stadium offers a chance to change the narrative, but recent history suggests it will not come easy.

If La Máquina hopes to advance, it will need to take something positive back to Mexico, where the series will be decided at Estadio Cuauhtémoc, its temporary home.

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