Most surprising results from the Leagues Cup 2024 group stage
- The Leagues Cup Round of 32 is set to begin with the group stage's conclusion
- Austin FC picked up two huge wins against two strong Liga MX sides
- Atlanta United bowed out of the tournament after a poor showing at home
The Leagues Cup group stage brought us a few head-turning results as teams booked their place in the Round of 32 while others crashed out.
We saw the likes of Inter Miami, Tigres UANL and LAFC do the expected and secure qualification to the Round of 32 with minimum difficulty. However, there still were a couple big-name clubs out of MLS and Liga MX that were unable to reach the knockout stage after suffering shocking upsets in the group stage.
Here are 90min's three most surprising results from the Leagues Cup group stage.
1. Monterrey 0-2 Austin FC
Austin FC followed up their upset win over Pumas UNAM by taking down another Liga MX giant in Monterrey. Not many were expecting Austin to get much out of West Group 1 with Pumas and Rayados in the same group, but they silenced their critics to finish atop the table with six points.
2. Pumas UNAM 2-3 Austin FC
Before the Verde and Black shocked North America with their win over Monterrey, the Texan outfit picked up three huge points with a 3-2 victory over Pumas UNAM.
Austin managed to see out the narrow win despite new signing Osman Bukari being shown a second yellow card in the first half, and the winger should be available for their clash vs LAFC.
3. Atlanta United 0-0 Santos Laguna (3-5 on penalties)
Although Atlanta United have endured a dismal 2024 season, they really had no business losing to Santos Laguna in front of their fans -- on penalties. The Five Stripes' squad is still a work in progress but had plenty of quality in it to take down Santos.
However, the team struggled to generate momentum during the match, allowing Santos to hang around and claim victory in the penalty shootout.
How to watch Leagues Cup 2024
You can watch all of the Leagues Cup 2024 action on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.