Santos Laguna entered Leagues Cup 2026 with a clear message from its camp: the process is still building, but the team believes the results will follow. On Thursday, before the club’s opener against New York City FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium, director técnico Renato Paiva spoke about the value of training, short turnaround between matches and the importance of continuing to grow as a group.
Santos Laguna trained this afternoon at Red Bull Training Facilities before heading into its first match of the tournament. For Paiva, the competition arrives at a useful moment because it gives the team more games in a short span, something he said can help build confidence while the work on the training ground continues.
Paiva points to steady progress
Paiva said it was very important to keep playing because the team spent preseason working on its idea and has been improving game by game. He noted that Santos Laguna did more in its most recent match and said the concern right now is the team’s growth, especially because results have not yet matched the process. His view was simple: the process is advancing, and the results should come with it.
He also said Leagues Cup arrives at a good time because he likes training and believes training is what helps a team play better. At the same time, he added that the current schedule matters because matches arriving within a short window can help the group gain the confidence it needs to get results. In Paiva’s words, the process is growing.
Cuevas sees a different challenge in Mexico
Mauricio Cuevas also spoke before the opener and described a strong first impression of the club. He said he noticed something different in the team from the first day he arrived, pointing to the way soccer is lived in Mexico and the passion around the game. Cuevas said he felt that energy from his first match and that it pushed him to be in his best form every game.
The defender said he feels very good at Santos Laguna and wants to challenge himself and grow as a player. He added that the team still needs to fine-tune details and believe in the process.
Cuevas also connected the tournament opener to the club’s earlier league form. He said Santos Laguna had already played its first three Liga MX matches before the Leagues Cup debut and that each match is approached with a winning mentality. After the first three Liga MX games, he said the team knows it has to keep believing in the process, and he made clear that Thursday’s match was another test the club intended to win.
What comes next in the group stage
The opener against New York City FC was only the first step in Santos Laguna’s three-match stretch in the tournament. After Thursday’s match, the club was set to face Chicago Fire FC on Sunday, August 9, at SeatGeek Stadium, before playing Philadelphia Union on Thursday, August 13, at Subaru Park.
For Santos Laguna, the structure is straightforward: three matches, limited time between them and qualification hopes tied to the results. That makes Paiva’s emphasis on growth and Cuevas’s belief in the process more than just pre-match talk. In a short competition like Leagues Cup 2026, the team’s first three games can quickly define the rest of its run.
