The New York City Football Club begins it’s League Cup 2024 run with a home match against Liga MX squad Queretaro FC Sunday night at Yankee Stadium. The Pigeons, who come off 3 straight road draws in just over a week open the tournament against a squad that, in it’s first 4 matches of the 2024-2025 season have started with 4 straight loses. It’s a great chance for the MLS squad to start off the tournament with a win before facing FC Cincinnati in Ohio on August 5th.
Since not much is known by the average MLSer about the Mexican squad, here’s 10 facts to help you get antiquated with the team from Central Mexico.
10 Facts:
1) The Team Is Older than All of Us. The club was founded on July 8, 1950 as the White Roosters after journalist Herrera “Periquín” Pozas based the nickname on their uniforms.
2) Ronaldo Spent a Season With Them. Back in the 2014-2015 season Ronaldo appeared in 25 matches, scoring 8 goals.
3) Their Manager Had a Great Run As a Player With The Squad. From 2005 to 2009 current Manager Mauro Gerk played 116 matches with the team, scoring 62 goals.
4) The Team Has Struggled Some of Late. Only breaking 5th place or better once since 2010 (4th place in 2019)
5) In Goal Is 33 Year Old Guillermo Allison. Allison is in his second year with the club after spending most of his time (and in his youth) with Cruz Azul. Currently in 4 matches this season he’s allowed 9 goals. On that note:
6) The Team Has Been Outscored 9-3 This Season. which is tied for worst in both goals allowed and goal differential. They’ve also been outshot on goal 21-12 this year.
7) They’re A Low Pass, High Dribble Team. Currently 2nd lowest this season in passes attempts, however against them they’ve allowed the most pass attempts on the season.
8) Pablo Berrera and Jose Zuniga Lead The Team In Scoring Last Season. Barrera had 7 last year and one this season, Zuniga had 6 and is now with Tijuana.
9) The Last Three Matches Queretaro Has Run With a 5-4-1 Formation. Curious if that will be the approach going into Leagues Cup.
10) Their Stadium Is Estadio Corregidora and is named after Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, AKA La Corregidora (The Collector), a key component in the Mexican war for independence from Spain. The stadium was also one of the stadiums in the 1986 World Cup.
So there you go, a bit of trivia, history and what not on the Liga MX team that NYCFC (and FC Cincinnati) will be facing in the first round of Leagues Cup. This match is a great example of a trap game, but at the same time a good experience for the young NYFCFC squad, many of whom this will be their first Leagues Cup experience.
About the author – Scott Churchson has been an actor in every way for the past 14 years, from BG to stand in to stunts and principal, a sports writer for the past 4 and is one of the people that created Stream Punk Entertainment. He’s married to a veterinarian, has a cat with three working legs, a mother-in-law who just moved in and is just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe.