Leagues Cup Preview: Getting to Know Atlético de San Luis
Revolution looks to book their spot in the Leagues Cup knockout stage following a 1-1 draw and shootout loss to New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

The New England Revolution look to keep their Leagues Cup hopes alive as they host Atlético de San Luis on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Many may not be familiar with the Revolution’s Liga MX opposition, so here’s everything you need to know before Wednesday’s contest.
Founding:
Atlético de San Luis is a newcomer to the Mexican football scene, as the club has only been operating for a decade. Following the 2013 Clausura, San Luis FC relocated and rebranded to Chiapas FC, which left the San Luis Potosi area without a club.
Estadio Alfonso Lastras owner Jacobo Payán went on to acquire Club Deportivo Veracruz and relocated them to Estadio Alfonso Lastras, which was once the home of San Luis FC.
History Over The Years:
Torneo Apertura: Finished in 7th place with a 5-2-7 record. Advanced to Apertura Liguilla but lost 4-0 to Necaxa on aggregate.
Torneo Clausura: Finished in 12th place with a 4-7-3 record and missed the playoffs.
Torneo Apertura: Finished in 9th place with 5-6-2 record and missed the playoffs.
Torneo Clausura: Finished atop the table with a 8-5-0 record and earned an automatic spot in the semifinals.
Liguilla Clausura: Advanced to the finals after defeating UAT. Fell short after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Sinaloa in the Final.
Torneo Apertura: Finished in 9th place with a 6-6-3 record and missed the playoffs.
Torneo Clausura: Finished in 15th place with a 2-8-5 record and missed the playoff.
Following drama revolving around the possible return of Chiapas FC to the San Luis Potosi area, club leadership decided to take the opportunity to forgo the 2016-17 Ascenso MX season.
March 17, 2017: After taking the 2016-17 campaign to rethink things, Atlético de San Luis reached an agreement to sell a majority stake of the club to La Liga giants Atlético Madrid as Madrid continued their international expansion.
Apertura 2017: Finished in 11th place with a 5-4-6 record and missed the playoffs.
Clausura 2018: Finished in 10th place with a 6-7-2 record and missed the playoffs
Apertura 2018: Finished in 5th place with a 6-3-5 record and advanced to the Liguilla.
Liguilla Apertura 2018: Defeated Sonora 3-1 on aggregate in the Quarterfinal. Defeated Atlante 3-2 on aggregate in the Semifinal. Defeated Sinaloa 4-3 on aggregate to win the Final and San Luis’ first title!
Clausura 2019: After winning their first title, San Luis’ success continued as they finished the Clausura in first place after going undefeated with a 7-0-7 record and advanced to the Liguilla.
Liguilla Clausura 2019: Earned an automatic bid to the Semifinal after finishing atop the table. Defeated Venados 4-2 on aggregate in the Semifinals. Defeated Sinaloa 2-1 on aggregate in the Final to secure back-to-back titles. Considering Atlético de San Luis won the Apertura and Clausura Liguilla titles, they earned promotion to first division Liga MX ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.
Toreno Apertura: San Luis’ debut in Liga MX sees them end the year in 15th place with a 6-10-2 record as they failed to make the playoffs.
Torneo Clausura: Finished in 13th place with a 3-3-4 record as they failed to make the playoffs.
Torneo Apertura: Finished dead last with a 3-12-2 record and missed the playoffs.
Torneo Clausura: Finished in 17th place with 3-11-3 record and missed the playoffs.
Torneo Apertura: Finished in 12th place with 4-5-8 record and made the playoffs thanks to the expanded playoff format.
Final Phase Apertura 2021: San Luis’ first Liga MX playoff run ended instantly as they suffered a 2-0 loss to Santos Laguna in the Reclassification round.
Torneo Clausura: Finished in 10th place with a 7-8-2 record and made the playoffs.
Final Phase Clausura 2022: Advanced to the Quarterfinals following a 2-2 draw and subsequent 3-1 shootout victory over Monterey. Lost to first seeded Pachuca 5-4 on aggregate.
Torneo Apertura: Finished in 13th place with a 4-7-6 record and missed the playoffs.
Torneo Clausura: Finished in 12th place with a 5-8-4 record and made the playoffs.
Final Phase Clausura 2023: Advanced to the Semifinals after defeating Leon 3-1. Defeated by second-seeded América 4-3 on aggregate.
While only three games into Torneo Apertura, San Luis sits in sixth place with an even 1-1-1 record with a +1 goal differential.
Roster:
Coach
Gustavo Leal: The 37-year-old Brazilian is just one month into his spell as head coach after the assistant coach received promotion after former coach André Jardine departed the club to take the head coaching role with Club América on June 17th, 2023. Leal is just three games into his stint with San Luis and has led the club to an even 1-1-1 record.
Goalkeepers
César López: The 22-year-old is on-loan from Liga de Expansión MX side Tempatitlán FC. López has appeared in two matches with San Luis’ Under-23 squad, where he’s notched one clean sheet while only conceding one goal.
Andréas Sánchez: The 25-year-old has started all three of San Luis’ Apertura 2023 matches, where he’s conceded five goals over 270 minutes.
Diego Urtuaga: The 24-year-old is on loan from Liga de Expansión MX side Tlaxcala FC. Urtuaga has been on the bench for all three Apertura 2023 matches.
Defenders
Unai Bilbao: The 29-year-old center back is on his second stint with San Luis. Bilbao spent 2018-2020 with San Luis before being loaned to Necaxa on July 1st, 2020. Bilbao returned to San Luis on June 30th, 2021. Bilbao has appeared in 115 matches with San Luis, where he’s notched 11 goals and one assist along with 20 yellow cards over 10,142 minutes.
Julio César Domínguez: The 35-year-old center back joined San Luis from Cruz Azul on July 1st, 2023 on a free transfer. Domínguez has appeared in all three of San Luis’ matches, where he’s notched one goal and one assist over 270 minutes.
Uziel García: The 22-year-old center back joined the first team from San Luis’ U-20 squad on July 1st, 2022. García has appeared in 23 matches for San Luis, where he’s received one yellow card over 1,450 minutes.
Jordan Silva: The 28-year-old center back joined San Luis from Cruz Azul on July 1st, 2023. Silva has yet to make an appearance for San Luis.
Eduardo Águila: The 21-year-old San Luis Academy product joined the first team on July 1st, 2022, and has appeared in six matches where he’s clocked 232 minutes.
Ricardo Chávez: The 28-year-old right back joined San Luis from Necaxa on July 1st, 2021. Chávez has appeared in 88 matches, where he’s notched three goals and 10 assists along with 10 yellow cards over 7,433 minutes.
Pablo Martínez: The 24-year-old right back joined San Luis from Venados FC on July 1st, 2022. Martínez has appeared in five matches, where he’s received one yellow card and one red card over 119 minutes.
Midfielders
Rodrigo Dourado: The 29-year-old defensive midfielder joined San Luis from Brazilian side Internacional on July 1st, 2022. Dourado has appeared in 34 contests, where he notched one assist along with eight yellow cards over 2,705 minutes.
Javier Güemez: The 31-year-old defensive midfielder joined San Luis from Toluca on January 1st, 2021. Güemez was loaned back to Toluca before returning to San Luis for a second stint on July 1st, 2021. Güemez has appeared in 92 contests, where he’s two goals and four assists along with nine yellow cards and one straight red over 7,561 minutes.
Andréas Iniestra: The 27-year-old defensive midfielder joined San Luis from PUMAS on January 1st, 2022. Iniestra has appeared in 37 contests where he’s received one yellow card over 2,086 minutes.
Juan Manuel Sanbria: The 23-year-old central midfielder is on his second stint in San Luis. Sanbria spent 2021-2023 on-loan from Atlético Madrid. Sanbria returned to Madrid on June 30th, 2023, but did not stay long as San Luis acquired the midfielder for a reported $5 million fee. Sanbria has 71 appearances with San Luis, where he’s notched three goals and 10 assists along with 14 yellows, and two second yellow ejections over 5,275 minutes.
Dieter Villalpando: The 31-year-old central midfielder joined San Luis from Necaxa on January 1st, 2023 on a free transfer. Villalpando has appeared in 21 matches, where he’s notched one goal and one assist along with three yellow cards and one straight red over 1,449 minutes.
Sebastien Salles-Lamonge: The 27-year-old central midfielder joined San Luis from French side SC Bastia on July 1st, 2023. Salles-Lamonge has yet to appear for San Luis.
Juan Castro: The 31-year-old central midfielder joined from FC Juarez on July 1st, 2017. Castro has appeared in 266 matches for San Luis, where he’s notched 18 goals and eight assists along with 31 yellow cards over 16,073 minutes.
Mateo Klimowicz: The 23-year-old attacking midfielder joined San Luis on-loan from Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart on January 1st, 2023. Klimowicz has appeared in 19 contests, where he’s notched one goal and one assist over 718 minutes.
Forwards:
Luis Ángel Gutiérrez: The 21-year-old left winger joined San Luis from América’s academy on July 1st, 2022. Gutiérrez has yet to appear for the senior team, but has experience with San Luis’ youth squads.
Jhon Murillo: The 27-year-old right winger joined San Luis from Portuguese side Tondela on January 3rd, 2022. Murillo has appeared in 58 contests, where he’s notched six goals and five assists along with eight yellow cards over 4,146 minutes.
Vitinho: The 22-year-old right winger joined San Luis from Brazilian side Säo Paulo’s academy on July 1st, 2022. Vitinho has 38 appearances with San Luis, where he’s notched four goals and one assist along with six yellow cards over 2,035.
Jürgen Damm: Damm is a name some Revolution fans may remember as the 30-year-old right winger spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Atlanta United. Damm joined San Luis from América on July 1st, 2023. Damm has appeared in two matches for San Luis, where he’s clocked 42 minutes.
Benjamín Galdames: The 22-year-old right winger joined San Luis from Chilean side Uniόn Española on July 1st, 2023. Galdames has one appearance, where he clocked 17 minutes.
Léo Bonatini: The 29-year-old center forward joined San Luis from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 1st, 2023. Bonatini has 22 appearances with San Luis, where he’s notched six goals and two assists along with one yellow card over 1,210 minutes.
Ángel Zaldívar: The 29-year-old center forward joined San Luis on-loan from Chivas on January 1st, 2022. Zaldívar has appeared in 20 matches, where he’s notched two goals and one assist along with one yellow card over 841 minutes.
Implications:
As Bruce Arena told the media following Saturday’s draw and shootout loss to the New York Red Bulls, the Revs are “still in the competition.” Yet a win is something the Revolution will strive for.
Thanks to Andy from Revs Nation, we know how Wednesday’s result against Atlético de San Luis impacts the Revs Leagues Cup run. A win is obviously the best outcome for Bruce Arena and Company, as it’s the only way to guarantee the Revs a top-two finish and a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament before NYRB and Atlético de San Luis meet in the Group Stage finale on July 30th.
A regular time draw and shootout would position the Revs nicely but requires NYRB to win in the finale.
A regular time draw and shootout loss would not eliminate the Revolution but makes things challenging as all three clubs would be level with two points, which means the Revs need everything to go right in the Group Stage finale and hope the tiebreakers go their way.
Finally, regular time loss would eliminate the Revs from Leagues Cup as NYRB and Atlético de San Luis fight for the top seed in the Group Stage finale while the Revolution prepare for a month-long break.
Broadcast Information:
Date: Wednesday, July 26th
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass