By Tony Álvarez
New York City FC will have to leave it all on the pitch in front of their home crowd, as they face a must-win scenario to stay alive in Leagues Cup play. Their opponent, Toluca FC, arrives looking to complete an undefeated Phase One and secure a spot in the Knockout Stage when the two sides meet this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
HEAD TO HEAD
- 1st meeting all-time
- Record at Leagues Cup: Toluca (8-2), NYCFC (5-4)
LAST FIVE GAMES
- Toluca
- 4 Wins, 0 Draws, 1 Loss
- Won their first match in penalties vs Columbus, and beat Montréal in their second game (2-1)
- New York City FC
- 3 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss
- Lost to Puebla in their opener (3-0) but bounced back with 2-0 win over León in their second game
MAIN STORYLINES
- Toluca is the reigning Liga MX champion and come in as one of the favorites from down south. Since the beginning of 2025 they have won 19 of their 29 total matches.
- Paulinho has been sensational since his arrival to Liga MX. He has 32 goals in 44 appearances with Toluca, and thus far in Leagues Cup he has three goals (tied for 2nd most in the tournament).
- New York City FC will need a win and lots of help to advance, with three points and a -1 goal differential they sit at 11th place in the MLS standings.
- Alonso Martínez was not in the starting lineup for their first game and it clearly affected NYCFC's squad. He was back in there for game 2 and helped his team to a 2-0 win over León by scoring his first Leagues Cup goal.
KEY FACTORS
- Toluca
- Paulinho is the focal point of the attack, but don't discount Jesús Angulo who has scored in every Leagues Cup tournament since 2023.
- They've won 4 out of their last 5 but have also conceded nine goals in those games. What defense will show up for los Diablos Rojos?
- New York City FC
- Can Alonso Martínez do it again? He looks to stay hot on offense, he has scored 5 goals in their last 5 games.
- Defense coming off clean sheet after conceding 10 goals in their previous 5 games, can they do it again?
WHAT TO EXPECT
The stakes are simple for Toluca: a win would all but secure their place in the next round. For NYCFC, however, the path is more complicated. They must win and also get help from other results to stay in the tournament. It all sets up a thrilling finish to Phase One.
Toluca’s Paulinho enters the match in red-hot form. The Brazilian forward has scored three times already in the tournament—netting twice against Columbus Crew and delivering the game-winner against CF Montréal. He’ll be the key attacking threat once again for the defending Liga MX champions.
On the other side, NYCFC’s defense showed clear improvement after conceding three goals in their tournament opener against Club Puebla. They followed that performance with a clean sheet against Club León—their first shutout since June 12. Offensively, Alonso Martínez is a player to watch. He contributed a goal and an assist in the win over León and could be decisive again.
The Leagues Cup has delivered close games and big drama, and this clash should be no different. With a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup still on the line, both teams enter Tuesday’s showdown with everything to play for.
