The Union are likely to miss the Leagues Cup knockout stage. What did these matches reveal?

Despite looking impressive in a 3-1 win over Julián Carranza’s Necaxa side, the Union still have a slim chance of advancing to the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup.

The top four teams from the MLS after three Liga MX vs. MLS matches will go on to the knockouts alongside the top four Liga MX performers.

Sitting on three points after two matches, the Union are not mathematically eliminated from advancing, but they would need a lot of help to jump from tied for tenth to inside the top four on the final match day.

Next is the Union’s assumed Cup finale against Santos Laguna at Subaru Park on Thursday (7 p.m., Apple TV). If the Union aren’t going to advance or hoist a trophy from their Leagues Cup run, what can they bring back with them into the MLS schedule?

» READ MORE: Union bounce back with 3-1 win over Liga MX’s Necaxa in Leagues Cup group stage match

The most obvious answer is rest. While interim head coach Ryan Richter said the team plays to win, the selection for Sunday’s match allowed for some rotation.

With qualification to the knockout stage already a long shot, Milan Iloski was able to sit with the substitutes for the second time this season before playing the final 30 minutes.

Frankie Westfield did the same, coming off the bench for the third time this season.

If the Union are mathematically eliminated by Thursday’s match against Santos Laguna, Richter could use that game as an opportunity to dig into his expanded 30-man Leagues Cup roster and rest some key players.

The top candidates for a night off includes Kai Wagner, who’s played 420 of a possible 450 minutes since returning from Birmingham City in July, Danley Jean Jacques, Jovan Lukić, and Nathan Harriel.

“We probably will know exactly where we’re at by [Thursday],” Richter said after Sunday’s match. “You have to take your decision on how to approach the game. And it will be a little different. That’s the reality of it.”

Richter will also hope to have gathered more information about his personnel and how it fits together by the time the Leagues Cup ends.

With the Union on a solid stretch since their return from the FIFA World Cup, it would be easy to forget that Richter has only coached five matches at the professional level.

» READ MORE: Ryan Richter balances wanting a deep Leagues Cup run for the Union with a packed August

The Leagues Cup has allowed Richter to see how his players perform in competitive, physical matches.

“We can try different things,” Richter said. “Try some players that you might not use in a league game to see exactly where they’re at, and see if they have a role that they can play in the first team.”

The Cup has allowed Richter to continue to tinker with his tactics, too. When the Union were in need of a goal late against Cruz Azul, Richter shifted his team to the same formation that sparked its three-goal comeback against Atlanta United in MLS play.

“Even though we didn’t get the goal, I think it was a tactic we could use again if we’re chasing a goal at the end of the game,” Richter said. “It’s trying some new things. I don’t know the team [perfectly].

“I don’t know the players, everything about them yet, so it’s still trying to learn a little bit about what the best fit is, in what moment of a game, and who you can rely on for a role, and what role guys can carve out for themselves.”

If the Union are lucky, their performances might hold up once they get back to league play. While the goal never came, Richter’s squad played an impressive second half against Cruz Azul.

The Union never looked back after jumping out to an early lead over Necaxa, something the club has struggled to do for much of the first half of the season.

It’s also a good sign that three different Union players other than Iloski scored. Sunday’s win was the Union’s eighth outing with three or more goals scored, and the third without Iloski on the scoresheet.

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Cavan Sullivan and Bruno Damiani both broke scoreless streaks, with the latter punching in his second goal of the season.

As the team tries to pull itself back into the playoff picture, Damiani is hoping that the club’s Leagues Cup run will give it a boost once it returns to league play.

“We need to focus now on the Leagues Cup, but then when it’s over, let’s go back to MLS and let’s go back to the things we did well,” Damiani said. “Most of the principles are the same. It changed the competition, but not us.”