Major League Soccer's Austin FC and Liga MX's Mazatlan will face each other on the opening night of brand-new tournament Leagues Cup.
Watch the Leagues Cup live on Apple TV
Both recently-formed teams are pitted together in South 1 Group alongside FC Juarez. Finishing in either first or second would be enough in order to advance to the Leagues Cup knockout rounds.
Austin are having a fine MLS season. They are currently in fifth position in the Western Conference table with 32 points to their name, winning nine, losing nine, and drawing five of 23 league matches.
The hosts are coming off the back of a great run in the MLS, having won four of their last six games (D1, L1), including a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas in their last outing, in which Gyasi Zardes and Ethan Finlay got on the scoresheet.
The Verde and Black are riding on a three-game winning streak in MLS at home, and will look to carry that form into this newly-incarnated competition.
As for Mazatlan, they are the underdogs in Texas. Having yet to taste victory three games into the new Liga MX season (D2, L1), Ismael Rescalvo’s team have made a poor start to the Liga MX Apertura campaign, and find themselves 15th with just two points on the board.
What's more, they were hammered 3-0 by Monterrey at Estadio de Mazatlan at the weekend, with Luis Amarilla sent off in that game.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Austin vs Mazatlán kick-off time
| Date: | July 21, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. ET |
| Venue: | Q2 Stadium |
The match between the MLS and Liga MX side is to be played at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Friday July 21, 2023, with kick-off scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
How to watch Austin vs Mazatlán online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will be broadcast on Apple TV in the United States and Mexico. An MLS Season Pass subscription is required in order to watch.
Team news & squads
Austin team news
Austin will be without the services of Zan Kolmanic (right ACL), Leo Vaisanen (right LCL), Emiliano Rigoni (left MCL). On the flip side, centre-back Alex Ring could make his return from a groin issue here.
Sebastian Driussi has so far helped himself to six goals and three assists in 18 MLS games this term. His speed, skill, and clinical edge in front of goal makes him a nightmare for defenders to play against and he would be key player for the hosts in this match.
Austin possible XI: Stuver; Gallagher, Keller, Cascante, Lima; Pereira, Wolff; Fagundez, Driussi, Finlay; Zardes
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Stuver, Las, Bersano |
| Defenders: | Gallagher, Ring, Cascante, Lima, Keller, Jimenez, Lundqvist |
| Midfielders: | Pereira, Wolff, Finlay, Fagundez, Valencia, Djeffal, Craig |
| Forwards: | Zardes, Driussi, Redes, Bruin, Urruti |
Mazatlán team news
The Sinaloa outfit have just carried on from where they left off in the 2022-23 Clausura season, where they struggled to get going all season, winning just two games out of 17 and finishing bottom.
Spanish head coach Ismael Rescalvo, who took over the reins from Ruben Omar Romano back in May, would hope that his side's fortunes overturn in the coming weeks.
Despite the massive defeat last time out, Rescalvo could also stick with an unchanged 4-4-2 setup, with Nicolas Benedetti set to spearhead the attack alongside Luis Amarilla, while winger Eduard Bello will hope to again cause opposition problems with his quickness on the left-flank.
Goalkeeper Hugo Gonzalez remains a mainstay in between the sticks in front of an unaltered back four of Bryan Colula, Facundo Almada,Nestor Vidrio and Jair Diaz.
Mazatlan possible XI: Gonzalez; Vidrio, Diaz, Almada, Colula; Medina, Flores, Intriago, Bello; Benedetti, Luis Amarilla
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Gonzalez, Gutierrez, Velez |
| Defenders: | Vidrio, Diaz, Almada, Colula, Zambrano, Alarcon, Merolla, Olivas, Maduena |
| Midfielders: | Camacho, Escobar, Flores, Intriago, Bello, Flores, Villegas, Zarate, Colman |
| Forwards: | Benedetti, Amarilla, Loba, Sanchez, Lastra, Sansores |
Head-to-Head Record
Both sides have been formed recently, with Austin created in 2018, whereas Mazatlan in 2020. As a result, they haven't faced each other before, and Austin will be Mazatlan's first-ever opponents from the MLS.