Minnesota United faces Club Puebla in Leagues Cup debut

8 p.m. Sunday vs. Club Puebla * Allianz Field * FS1, streaming on Apple TV * 1500 AM

Minnesota United starts a five-week pause in the MLS schedule with its opener in the new Leagues Cup tournament including all 47 teams in MLS and Mexico's Liga MX. The Loons will play Club Puebla Sunday and Chicago Fire at home on Thursday in group play. Two teams advance in each group to knockout play. "It's different and it's tough," Loons defender Zarek Valentin said. "But it kind of re-energizes players. It shifts your perspective to new competition and ultimately a chance to win a title or trophy is important for myself and the team." … Club Puebla has started its league's season-opening tournament 0-2-1 while starting a different formation each game. That's 17th out of 18 Liga MX clubs so far. … Club Puebla players to watch include 21-year-old forward Ángel Robles and 28-year-old forward Guillermo Martinez. … Loons defender DJ Taylor on Lionel Messi's 94th minute free-kick goal to beat Cruz Azul 2-1 Friday in his American and MLS debut: "You couldn't have written the script better. I kind of expected Messi to end it like that. It was incredibly surreal to see him on American soil."

Injuries: Heath indicated defender Micky Tapias and forwards Sang Bin Jeong and Franco Fragapane likely will need at least another game before they return from injuries. "We'll probably err on the side of caution with all three of them."