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How to Watch Chicago Fire vs Cruz Azul in USA

Watch Chicago Fire vs Cruz Azul

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Cruz Azul and the Chicago Fire will meet at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, on Tuesday in the first round of the inaugural Leagues Cup, a single-elimination tournament featuring four clubs from Major League Soccer and four from Liga MX.

In the US, the match begins at 8:30 p.m. ET. It won’t be on regular TV in the United States, but you can watch the match on ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has coverage of most Leagues Cup matches, other international soccer and live sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and additional original content for $4.99 per month.

You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of Chicago Fire vs Cruz Azul on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.


Chicago Fire vs Cruz Azul Preview

The Fire have just one victory in their last 12 matches, a stretch that includes a 2-1 defeat to USL Championship side Saint Louis FC in the US Open Cup.

“We know who we are and what’s happening to us,” Chicago head coach Veljko Paunović said after drawing with Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday, according to Pro Soccer USA. “We are aware that we have to get better, that in those moments when the game is going either way, we have to stay strong. We are aware of that and we are working hard to fix it.

“We will not stop until we make it. Eventually one day it will turn in our direction and start to go well.”

Coming off a loss to Cincinnati FC, who own the MLS’s worst record, the Fire led Columbus 2-1 and were moments away from their first victory in two weeks before Crew forward Romario Williams equalized in the 90th minute.

“What you said, here we go again,” Fire defender Johan Kappelhof said, per Pro Soccer USA. “It’s frustrating to concede a goal at the end. I think everybody put a lot of effort in the game. Then in the end we don’t get the points we deserve and that’s really frustrating.”

Chicago followed that draw with a 2-0 defeat against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

A reinforcement is on the way, however, in the form of former USMNT defender Jonathan Bornstein.

The Fire landed the 34-year-old from Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Netanya by sending $50,000 in 2020 Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) to the Crew for the No. 1 spot in the MLS waiver order before selecting him off waivers.

“We began pursuing Jonathan back in January but, unfortunately, his insertion into the lineup made him too invaluable to his former club,” Fire president and general manager Nelson Rodríguez said, according to the team’s official website. “In addition to providing a steady presence and competition on the field, we believe Jonathan will be an excellent mentor for our younger players.”

Cruz Azul have lost just once in their last 15 matches across all competitions. On July 14, they dismantled Necaxa 4-0 in the SuperCopa MX behind goals from Milton Caraglio, Elias Hernández, Édgar Méndez, and Juan Carlos Escobar.

“Cruz Azul has achieved the first of three trophies it would like to take home over the next six months,” club president Ricardo Peláez said after the triumph, according to MLSsoccer.com.

Those other two titles: the inaugural Leagues Cup and the 2019 Apertura. The campaign for the latter got underway on Saturday when Cruz Azul again played Necaxa, this time to a scoreless draw.