COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Crew’s road map towards a second consecutive Leagues Cup title is now set.

Columbus, who won the second-ever Leagues Cup last season, will host three Mexican teams in the new “Phase One” round of the re-formatted competition. The Crew’s title defense will start on July 29 when they welcome Toluca at Lower.com Field as part of the opening day of Leagues Cup.

Columbus will then face Puebla on Aug. 1 and close out Phase One play on Aug. 5 against Club Leon, who will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. in June. Follow this link for ticket information. Crew season-ticket holders get the Puebla match as part of their package.

The newly formatted Leagues Cup reduces the participating clubs to 36 with 18 each from MLS and Liga MX. Each team plays three opponents from the opposite league in Phase One to determine the eight teams that advance to the knockout round.

MLS and Liga MX teams will be in a league-specific table in Phase One with the top four from each league advancing to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals will pit MLS and Liga MX teams against each other, culminating in the August 31 final.

The Crew’s season begins on Feb. 22 when they host the Chicago Fire in their MLS regular season opener. Columbus is also participating in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which it finished last season as the runner-up. The Black & Gold’s opening CONCACAF match will be on Mar. 4 at the Colorado Rapids or Los Angeles FC in the Round of 16.