By Tony Álvarez
Toluca FC showed exactly why they’re the reigning Liga MX champions, coming from behind to defeat New York City FC 2-1 and close out Phase One of the Leagues Cup undefeated. With eight points collected, the Choriceros have assured passage into the Quarterfinals of Leagues Cup 2025.
It was the home side that struck first in the 10th minute, providing a spark of hope for the fans at Yankee Stadium. Agustín Ojeda and Alonso Martínez once again combined for a moment of brilliance — Ojeda delivered a ball down the left flank, and Martínez cut inside and curled a right-footed shot to the far post for the 1-0 lead.
But the rest of the first half belonged to Toluca. The Mexican champions racked up eight shots to NYCFC’s two and turned the scoreline around before the break.
In the 37th minute, Helinho swung in a dangerous cross from the right that Paulinho headed off the crossbar. Jesús Angulo was first to the rebound and calmly slotted it home to level the score. Just minutes later, Angulo turned provider, threading a perfectly timed pass between two defenders to Paulinho, who finished decisively to give Toluca the 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, NYCFC pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but Toluca continued to look the more dangerous side. Helinho came inches from a third goal in the 62nd minute, hitting the post with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box.
The hosts kept fighting, and Julián Fernández nearly drew them level with a curling effort that struck the crossbar in the 70th minute. Despite their efforts, NYCFC couldn’t find a way through, and Toluca expertly managed the final stages to lock down all three points.
REACTIONS
- Toluca FC head coach Antonio Mohamed
- “I think it was an even match, I think we both had our moments, we had more scoring chances, but I think they played a great match, they made things very difficult for us.... if the other teams above us win we can still finish in fifth, but we hope we can continue with this dream of reaching the tournament final.”
- New York City FC head coach Pascal Jansen
- "We have to look at the positives, we played a very good opponent and we showed good level on both sides (…) these games really help because playing against a very strong side like Toluca has helped us raise our own level, this is for sure a step forward in performing better in the MLS.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Toluca
- Jesús Angulo scored the tying goal and then assisted on the game-winner
- New York City FC
- Alonso Martínez scored for a second consecutive game and now has 6 goals in his last 6 matches
GAME NOTES
- Toluca is undefeated in this tournament with 2 wins in regulation and another coming in penalties.
- Paulinho scored again and he now has at least one goal in every game this tournament. His four total goals thus far have him tied with Ángel Correa for the tournament lead.
- Jesús Angulo has scored in every edition of Leagues Cup dating back to 2023, and now he has 2 goals and 1 assist thus far in this edition proving he's a key cog in the Toluca attack.
- New York City FC's Maxi Moralez made his 250th career appearance across all competitions.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards
- Toluca: Andrés Pereira, Jesús Gallardo, Franco Romero, Robert Morales
- New York City FC: Strahinja Tanasijevic, Aiden O´Neill
LOOKING AHEAD
- Toluca FC became the first team to punch their ticket to the Knockout Stage, they will now wait to see which other seven teams will join them.
- New York City FC finished their participation in the tournament after only winning one game.
