Giacomo Vrioni scored a hat trick and the New England Revolution cruised to a 5-1 win over Mexico’s Atletico San Luis on Wednesday in Leagues Cup action at Foxborough, Mass.
The Revolution, who have a win and a penalty-shootout loss through two games, are guaranteed a spot in the event’s Round of 16 out of the East 4 Group.
Atletico San Luis, who played their Leagues Cup opener on Wednesday, will oppose the New York Red Bulls on Sunday in Harrison, N.J. The Red Bulls beat New England in a shootout last weekend.
The in-season tournament features every team from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX. The top two teams in each of the 15 three-team groups will join the reigning champions from each league, Los Angeles FC and Pachuca, in the Round of 16.
Vrioni opened the scoring in the 15th minute before the visitors leveled six minutes later on a goal from Mateo Klimowicz.
A Gustavo Bou goal in the 29th minute was followed by a Julio Dominguez own goal, putting New England up 3-1. Vrioni capped the scoring with tallies in the 39th and 60th minutes.
Union 5, Queretaro 1
Daniel Gazdag scored the game’s first two goals and finished with a hat trick as Philadelphia downed Queretaro in Chester, Pa.
The Union got their second win in as many Leagues Cup matches to seal the top spot in the East 1 Group. Queretaro, who were playing their first game in the tourney, will oppose Tijuana on Sunday in Chester, with the winner advancing as the second-place team.
Strikes from Gazdag in the 30th and 39th minute put the hosts in control, and Nathan Harriel made it 3-0 just before halftime. Gazdag got his third on a 63rd-minute penalty kick. Queteraro got on the board in the 84th minute with a goal from Raul Sandoval before Jack McGlynn capped the scoring late.
New York City FC 5, Toronto FC 0
Santiago Rodriguez found the net in each half and New York City FC rolled to a blowout of Toronto FC in Harrison, N.J.
NYCFC improved to 1-1-0, having lost to Atlas in their East 3 Group opener. Toronto (1-0-0) will play host to Atlas on Sunday in the group finale.
Maxime Chanot, Monsef Bakrar and Andres Jasson also scored for New York City. Toronto’s Shane O’Neill was sent off in the 84th minute after receiving a second yellow card.
D.C. United 1, CF Montreal 0
Erik Hurtado’s 70th-minute goal lifted D.C. to a victory at Montreal, assuring the visitors of a Round of 16 berth.
D.C. was playing its opener, while Montreal was coming off a penalty-shootout loss to Pumas UNAM. Pumas will play at D.C. on Saturday.
A poor Montreal back pass allowed Hurtado to run onto the ball in the penalty area. He rounded goalie Jonathan Sirois and rolled a left-footed shot into the vacated net.
Monterrey 3, Real Salt Lake 0
An early own goal and two goals from German Berterame carries Monterrey to a blowout of Real Salt Lake in Sandy, Utah.
RSL fell to 1-1-0 in the Leagues Cup, while Monterrey won its opener. Should the Seattle Sounders, who lost their opener to Salt Lake, defeat visiting Monterrey in regulation on Sunday, all three teams in the West 2 group would wind up with three points. In that scenario, tiebreakers would determine the group’s top two teams.
In the eighth minute, Monterrey’s Maximiliano Meza drove into the penalty area and cut the ball back toward the penalty spot. A retreating Justen Glad ran onto the ball and knocked it into his own net.
Berterame added to the advantage in the 13th and 74th minutes.
Leon 1, Galaxy 0
Angel Mena volleyed home the only goal in the 58th minute as Leon beat Los Angeles in Carson, Calif.
On the decisive play, Osvaldo Rodriguez lifted a pass over the Galaxy defense, and Mena ran onto it and connected with his right foot on the first bounce, knocking a 10-yard shot inside the left post.
With a regulation win and a penalty-shootout victory, Leon are assured of advancing out of the West 3 Group. The Galaxy need a win over the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday to move on.
Tigres UANL 2, Timbers 1
Jesus Angulo scored the tiebreaking goal in the 80th minute as visiting Tigres got past 10-man Portland.
Evander scored in the 24th minute for the Timbers. However, just two minutes after Andre-Pierre Gignac tied the game for Tigres in the 42nd minute, Evander received his second yellow card for a hard foul.
Ten minutes from the game’s end, Angulo connected off a corner kick for the decisive tally.
Portland has a regulation win and a regulation loss. The Wednesday contest was the opener for Tigres, who will visit the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday in the West 1 group’s finale.
–Field Level Media