Toluca to Play Away in Leagues Cup Quarter-Finals
Toluca's head coach Antonio Mohamed has confirmed that the team will not play at home in the upcoming Leagues Cup quarter-finals. The matches will be held in neutral venues in the United States, meaning Toluca cannot use their Estadio Nemesio Diez.
Neutral Venues for Quarter-Finals
For this edition of the Leagues Cup, the competition was played for the first time in Mexico but only in four games. Two were at Toluca's home ground, one at Estadio Banorte with América and another at Estadio Universitario with Tigres. However, starting from the quarter-finals and onwards, all matches will be held in the United States.
Although there were rumors about the possibility of holding some matches in Mexico, it was Mohamed who ruled out this option for Toluca. "With respect to playing here, it's impossible; we can't play at home. We could play in a neutral venue in the US as the best CONCACAF club, which is quite good because we won't have to play on our opponent's turf," he explained.
Team Rotation Due to Heavy Schedule
For this tournament start, Toluca has already faced three Liga MX matches and three Leagues Cup games within a month. This heavy schedule has led to significant player fatigue. While Mohamed did not complain, he acknowledged the need for rotation in their lineup due to the back-to-back matches.
"It's as it is agreed upon. We have to rotate all the time; we play with 48 hours of rest, and we are the last to play here and the first to play in the league, but that's how it goes. After you complain 'you're whining.' There's nothing more to say, just try to put out the best team and win," he commented.
"I wish the tournament was a bit later so teams could have better momentum and be more adapted, but it is what it is," concluded Mohamed, recognizing the challenges of the schedule without expressing concern over the criticism about player fatigue.
