Match Preview - Club Tijuana (Leagues Cup Phase 1)
Game Info
Kickoff: 8:00pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
This is the first meeting between Austin FC and Club Tijuana.
Club Tijuana Recent Form
Since this is the first time Austin FC is playing Tijuana, let’s take a quick look at the history of the Xolos to get you ready for the opening match of Leagues Cup 2026.
Club Tijuana or if you want to use their “government name”, Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, were founded in 2007 and found success soon after their inception. Located just minutes from the U.S./Mexico border, the “Xolos” (much easier to remember for me than Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente), are the northernmost team in Liga MX. They play their home games at Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico and are owned by Grupo Caliente, a Mexican gaming and entertainment company (aka crasinos).
After four years in Liga de Expansion MX, the second tier in the Mexican soccer pyramid, the Xolos were promoted to Liga MX following the 2011 season. In their first campaign at the Liga MX level, the team won the Apertura championship. The foundation for future success was seemingly set, but Club Tijuana has yet to lift another trophy after their magical inaugural season in the first division. While that drought has surely frustrated fans, there is a young phenom in Tijuana who has the entire fan base energized.
Before jumping into Tijuana’s current record and talking about their talented #10, let’s talk through how Liga MX seasons operate, as it is quite different from how most schedules work in the USA. Essentially, there are two regular “seasons” in one calendar year, with both seasons finalizing with a playoff bracket, which is called La Liguilla.
The first regular season is the Apertura (opening), which takes place from July through December. A champion is crowned in the Liguilla and the table is reset to zero. Then the Clasura (closing) begins in January and runs through May. The 2026 Apertura in Liga MX has just begun, which means Tijuana, along with most of the league, have only played three games thus far.
You may have had the pleasure of watching him play in the World Cup as the youngest player to ever play for Mexico’s senior national team at just 17 years of age, or scoring against the MLS All-Stars at Q2 Stadium last July at age 16. But if you didn’t, you will want to familiarize yourself with Gilberto Mora, as he is the most dynamic player on the field for Xolos.
He made his professional debut at 15 years old and Mora’s ascension has been meteoric. After captaining Mexico’s U17 youth national team at age 15, Mora has set the scene on fire with his technical skills and soccer IQ that stretch well beyond his years. As an attacking midfielder, Mora relies on his vision and precocious talent on the ball. He dictates the game, improves the players around him and displays a veteran composure on the ball more often than not. This is not a guy Austin FC can let sit in the middle of the park with time in possession. You think the Dynamo and Rapids midfielders had an easy time with that? Wait until it’s Mora, who has been receiving interest from clubs like Liverpool as recently as this week.
The Xolos have gotten off to a great start and find themselves at the top of the table with seven points from their three games, with wins over Tigres and Club Leon, as well as a draw against Atletico de San Luis. The team is currently led in goal contributions by forward Mourad El Ghezouani, a Moroccan striker who arrived in Tijuana after last playing for Eiche in LaLiga. But the Xolos have weapons all over the field. Midfielder Ramiro Arciga, forward Diego Abreu and winger Adonis Preciado are all attacking players Austin will need to be paying close attention to.
Since there is such a small sample size to look at, it feels important to jump back to the 2025-2026 Apetura/Clausura, which saw Tijuana finish ninth and seventh respectively. While the team did not qualify for La Liguilla in the Clasura, they did find themselves in the play-in game against FC Juarez in the Apertura, which saw them advance via a 3-1 win. They were off to a great start in the quarterfinals against Tigres with a 3-0 victory at home. Things did not go so well on the road, as Tigres advanced after thrashing Tijuana to the tune of 5-0, advancing 5-3 on aggregate.
With the hot Apertura start in tow, a bevy of young talent, and a superstar in the making, Club Tijuana is looking to build on solid momentum and secure their second trophy in their history at the 2026 Leagues Cup.
Austin FC Recent Form
I am not sure the fan base as a whole has ever felt a lower low than what we are going through right now. It feels like the only light at the end of the tunnel is the arrival of Jim Curtin in December and while I’m still excited about that, it doesn’t take away from the absolute slop we are seeing on the pitch week in and week out coming out of the World Cup break.
Sparing everyone my incessant whining, I’ll make this as short as possible. I do not understand what Davy Arnaud is trying to accomplish with his formation and tactics. While I believe the majority of the players are giving it their all every game, it’s abundantly clear that this stylistic change has alienated and frustrated at least a handful of players.
Asking players to play in uncomfortable positions is one thing, completely abandoning how those players have played the majority of their career to fit your half-baked scheme is another. To exacerbate matters, with the information gleaned from Brendan Hines-Ike interview after Colorado, is that this formation is not something Jim Curtin has deployed in the past, at least in his experience.
So, what’s the point then? We’re suffering through this so Davy can get tape on how he wants to play for his next stop? We’re potentially damaging relationships with players to ensure Davy can remain unwavering in his belief that what he drilled during the World Cup break is what’s right for this group?
The performance against Colorado was once again a masterclass in tactical malpractice by Coach Arnaud. Outshot by an equally rudderless Colorado team 23 to nine, earning zero corners to Colorado’s 11, allowing the Rapids 50 touches in Austin’s penalty area compared to managing just eight themselves and, brace yourselves for this, just TWO accurate crosses compared to Colorado’s 13. In a formation, that we have been told, is designed to generate accurate in-swinging crosses into the box!
Until I see something different, I’m of the opinion that what we’re seeing is nonsense in the purest form. This team has never looked more disjointed, disorganized, and flat out lost in the history of the club. A club, mind you, that has one winning season in six since it began play in 2021. Anyone with eyes, outside of Davy, can see that this is clearly not working. Even the damn English language Apple TV announcers are commenting weekly on their disbelief with how Austin is playing. To remain staunch in your position that this is how we are going to play, is a disservice to the men working hard in your practices and wearing our colors on the pitch. As ZG said a few episodes back, “you’re sending them out there to get slaughtered.”
With Coach Arnaud continuing to say the team will not be changing tactics, expect to see an Austin FC side once again lined up with inverted wing backs whose best qualities are all being diminished in order to satiate Davy’s appetite for “in-swinging crosses.” While he looked lively in his limited minutes on Saturday, Jayden Nelson is not being utilized properly playing in a back five. Owen Wolff is essentially being marked by his midfield mate and when he’s lost in the congestion and gets on the ball, there are no outlets to be found. Oleksandr Svatok has proven that he cannot effectively play as the center of a three center back scheme. The best things Guilerme Biro does as a left back have been nerfed by stuffing him inside as a left centerback. Joseph Rosales, one of the best left backs/left wing backs in the league is much less lethal on the right side of the pitch offensively. We have no hold up play because the front line is 20 yards away from the midfield and Bradley Scott Stuver is once again left to his own devices to try to save us from being run off the field.
After getting Randy Moss’d by Houston to the tune of three goals over the top, it was clear Arnaud wanted to eliminate that type of consistent threat. Doing this succesfully did result in no balls falling in behind the backline in that manner, but it also yielded an 81% field tilt in Colorado’s favor and allowed them to live in our defensive third so much they had to pay property taxes after the game.
So Davy was willing to adjust to that, but unwilling to move away from inverted wingbacks? He subbed on Jayden Nelson as a left wing back, a position that almost entirely eliminates his strongest skillset as a goal dangeous attacking player while forcing him to play a more defense-focused role than he appears to be comfortable with. As I said on Episode 322, it seemed to me that the much more prescient move would have been to replace Facu Torres with Nelson.
Arnaud also then put our other fastest player, Przemyslaw Placheta, in at right wing back. “Plachee” has never played right wing back in his entire career prior to landing in ATX, and it showed when he conceded the game-winning penalty to Colorado in the waning moments.
MLS teams fared well on opening night of Leagues Cup and I’m working up all the excitement I can muster to be hopeful that Austin can do the same. This tournament does represent an opportunity outside of league play in MLS to work things out in this formation. We’ll see what happens.
Injury Report
This is an estimate, as there are no official injury reports during Leagues Cup.
ATX:
Mikkel Desler (Out - Achilles)
Jon Bell (Out - Pubis)
TIJ:
None listed
Club Tijuana Players to Watch
Gilberto Mora - As we talked about at length in Episode 322 (jump to the ~1:23:00 mark for the Tijuana preview), Mora is the present and future for Mexican soccer. While he may not be long for Liga MX, Mora will be in action come Thursday. He will be commanding the middle of the pitch for the Xolos and will, more than likely, be a threat all night long. Giving him time and space in the center of the park, something Austin FC has routinely been doing for opponents all season, will allow him to pick us apart. All eyes on Xolos #10 on Thursday night.
Adonis Preciado - The Ecuadorian right wing is lightning in a bottle, with a burning desire to take on defenders one-on-one. He utilizes his elite speed and crafty ball skills to take on defenders and create opportunities, both for himself and his teammates. He’ll be consistently flying up the right side of the pitch when Xolos are on the ball. Asking anyone in Verde to contribute offensively while having to deal with the pace of Preciado on the defensive side is a tall task.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Feed The People - It’s clear that there is a ton of frustration in this fan base surrounding the club and what the players are being asked to do at the direction of Arnuad and his staff. As mentioned, I believe players are doing their best to buy in and play hard for the badge, city and fans. But that only goes so far when it feels like your team is being set up to fail. With that being said, this fanbase is begging for anything positive to latch on to. A victory here could go a long way for morale of both the players and fans, potentially setting some folks up for the hope of advancing out of Phase 1. Given how Tijuana has looked to start the season this is going to be a real challenge, but one that I hope the guys are getting up for. We’re hungry for something to cheer for!
Predictions
ZG- 1-1 Draw (Austin FC wins PKs)
E- 1-1 Draw (Austin FC wins PKs)
