Leagues Cup: CF Toluca fight back to beat Columbus Crew on penalties

Paulinho led a dramatic comeback and Luis Manuel Garcia delivered in the shootout as CF Toluca edged Columbus Crew 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Leagues Cup opener on Tuesday night.

Columbus jumped out to a 2-0 lead, with Diego Rossi converting a penalty in the 11th minute and Max Arfsten adding a second just after halftime off a setup from Jacen Russell-Rowe. But Toluca, the reigning Liga MX Clausura champions, roared back through Paulinho, who scored twice in quick succession in the 71st and 80th minutes to level the match.

Garcia took over from there. The Toluca goalkeeper denied Rossi a chance at a brace by saving a penalty in the 88th minute, then came up big again in the shootout, stopping attempts from both Rossi and Amar Sejdic. Helinho sealed the win with Toluca’s fifth and final penalty, giving the Diablos Rojos the bonus point in the group standings.



Puebla blank New York City FC 3-0

Emiliano Gomez led the way with a goal and an assist as visiting Puebla secured a convincing 3-0 win over New York City FC in their Leagues Cup opener in Harrison, NJ.

Puebla struck early when Juan Fedorco capitalized on a failed clearance off a corner kick to score in just the second minute. Gomez doubled the lead in the 38th, sliding in to finish Alejandro Organista's low cross. The Mexican side sealed the win in the 88th minute when Owen Gonzalez capped a flowing team move, finishing off a sharp final pass from Gomez.

Despite trailing on the scoreboard, NYCFC edged Puebla in total shots, 17-13. However, Puebla goalkeeper Jesus Rodriguez stood tall, recording five saves to secure the tournament's first clean sheet. NYCFC’s Matthew Freese made two saves in the losing effort.


CF Montreal beat Club Leon in thrilling shootout

Prince Owusu continued his red-hot form with his 10th goal in 10 matches, helping CF Montreal earn a draw and prevail in a penalty shootout against visiting Club Leon in their Leagues Cup opener.

Owusu equalised in the 62nd minute, finishing off a well-worked move set up by Dante Sealy, which canceled out Rogelio Funes Mori’s 11th-minute header. The Leon striker had nodded home a precise long diagonal from James Rodriguez to open the scoring.


The match remained level through full time, leading to a dramatic shootout. After 13 straight successful penalties, Leon’s Sebastian Santos hit the crossbar, giving Montreal the 8-7 shootout win and an extra point in the group standings.

Montreal dominated the stats, outshooting Leon 17-4 overall and 7-2 in shots on target. Despite the pressure, Leon goalkeeper Oscar Jimenez made six saves to keep his side in contention.