Preview: New York City FC Begin Leagues Cup Campaign Against Santos Laguna

New York City FC turn their attention to Leagues Cup action on Thursday night as they welcome Liga MX side Santos Laguna to Sports Illustrated Stadium in their opening Phase One fixture.

Pascal Jansen's side come into the tournament in good form after extending their unbeaten run to three matches with a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC last time out. NYCFC will now look to carry that momentum into a competition that has provided some memorable encounters with Mexican opposition in recent years.

Speaking ahead of the match, Jansen expects another physical and competitive contest despite the differences between MLS and Liga MX.

"Based on the analysis we've done so far, I would say the intensity of the game is sometimes comparable, but over longer periods it's a little slower at times," Jansen said. "That can also be very deceiving because it depends on who you play and where you play in Mexico. I recall the games from last year's tournament, especially against Club León and Toluca, which were both very competitive. I'm looking forward to those types of games in this tournament."

Forward Agustín Ojeda echoed his head coach's thoughts and believes the tournament provides a unique challenge for MLS clubs.

"We know this is a separate tournament from MLS," Ojeda said. "It's another competition against different opponents and teams that you don't usually play during the year. It's nice to face other great players and great teams because Liga MX has a lot of quality. We hope it goes very well for us so we can get the victories we need to keep moving forward."

Thursday's meeting marks the start of NYCFC's Leagues Cup campaign, with valuable points on offer as both clubs look to take an early step towards the knockout stages.