By Tony Álvarez
Both teams came in desperate for a win, but it was New York City FC who showed more urgency and walked away with a 2-0 victory over Club León, climbing up the Leagues Cup table and leaving the Mexican side on the brink of elimination.
NYCFC dominated from the opening whistle, controlling possession early and often—and it didn’t take long for the breakthrough to come. In the 7th minute, Justin Haak redirected a corner kick, and Alonso Martínez was perfectly positioned to tap it in with his right foot. VAR confirmed the goal, and NYCFC went ahead 1-0.
From that moment on, the second goal always looked closer than an equalizer from León, as the MLS side kept pressing. Their effort was rewarded in the 32nd minute. Designated Player Nico Fernández Mercau found Martínez cutting into the box from the right, who then laid it off to Agustín Ojeda. The Argentine fired a strong, well-timed shot with his right foot from the left side to double the lead—again confirmed by VAR.
NYCFC entered halftime in full control, but León came out determined in the second half and began to dictate play. They had a golden opportunity to cut the deficit when a foul in the box earned them a penalty. Colombian international James Rodríguez stepped up, but NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese made a spectacular save with his right hand to preserve the clean sheet.
Despite Los Panzas Verdes trying to create more chances, it was NYCFC who nearly added a third goal on the counter. As time ran out, Club León couldn't find a way back, and after the final whistle, New York City FC secured three crucial points to stay alive in the Leagues Cup. With just one point from two matches, León now needs a miracle to advance to the knockout stage.
REACTIONS
- New York City FC Head Coach Pascal Jansen
- “Part of playing a tournament like this is, if you don’t win your first game and do win your second you have to bring your math books out. We have to approach it like we have to play two finals, the first one was today.”
- Club León Head Coach Eduardo Berizzo
- “Today we played a very bad game in the first half, at the start of the game, it got out of hand too quickly, we didn't come out as we should have."
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- New York City FC:
- Alonso Martínez made his presence felt early scoring in the 7th minute and later assisting on NYCFC's second goal
- Club León:
- Oscar Jiménez gave up two goals but it could have been much more. He was under duress all match and finished with six saves.
GAME NOTES
- Alonso Martínez did not enter the pitch until the 65th minute on Tuesday and he was clearly missed as NYCFC just couldn't muster any offensive momentum. Tonight, he was sharp from the start showing his creativity and finding the back of the net for the 5th time in his last five games.
- After a lackluster offensive performance on Tuesday, New York's came ready to play tonight registering five shots on goal in the first alone (León had none).
- Matt Freese got himself another clean sheet and saved another penalty kick in the process. NYCFC fans held their breath when Matt Freese seemed to have hurt his shoulder in the 2nd half, but he managed to finish the match.
- 21-year-old winger, Agustín Ojeda, scored his first goal since June 2024.
- James Rodríguez played his second career Leagues Cup game, and once again played the full 90 minutes, but failed to score on a penalty attempt getting denied by Matt Freese.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards
- New York City FC: None
- Club León: Stiven Barreiro, Rodrigo Echevarría
LOOKING AHEAD
- New York City FC's next match will be against Toluca on August 5th
- Club León's next match will be against Columbus on August 5th
