PayPal Park gets an in-season international night this Wednesday, March 25 (7:30 p.m. PT) when Cruz Azul faces Atlético Nacional in a club friendly in San Jose.
Cruz Azul arrives in the middle of a strong Liga MX Clausura run. After 12 matches, La Máquina sits second in the table with 27 points (8-3-1), trailing Guadalajara. Their last two league outings have been draws — 2-2 at Pumas and 1-1 at Mazatlán — results that kept them near the top while the schedule stacks up.
They’ve also been balancing continental play. Earlier this month, Cruz Azul eliminated Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, advancing 4-3 on aggregate after a 1-1 second leg. Head coach Nicolás Larcamón has publicly pointed to the tight turnaround between Champions Cup and league matches as part of the current grind.
Atlético Nacional comes in with a similar “winning-first” profile at home. In Colombia’s Primera A, Nacional currently sits first with 27 points (9-0-3) and a +17 goal difference through 12 matches. The recent form is a mix of dominant wins and one sharp stumble: Nacional bounced back with a 3-0 win over Internacional de Bogotá, but just days earlier suffered a 3-0 loss at Millonarios. They’ve also had continental duty on the calendar this month, with ESPN listing a CONMEBOL Sudamericana match against Millonarios in early March.
That’s what makes Wednesday interesting— both teams are actively chasing points at home, and the friendly drops right into the middle of packed schedules. Expect rotation, but also expect real intensity in flashes, especially early and right after halftime when managers typically test their strongest combinations before turning to depth.
San Jose gets the benefit either way: two clubs with real stakes back home, bringing that form and edge into a Bay Area spotlight.
.png)
