Toluca rally to knock out New York City FC 2-1, remain unbeaten in Leagues Cup

Paulinho netted his fourth goal of the tournament in the 39th minute as Toluca battled back once again to earn a 2-1 road victory over New York City FC on Matchday 3 of the Leagues Cup group stage Tuesday night.

Jesus Angulo opened the scoring for Toluca just two minutes earlier, finding the net in the 37th minute with his second goal of the tournament. The comeback win lifted Toluca to 2-0-1 (8 points), temporarily placing them atop the Liga MX standings in the Leagues Cup, where four clubs from each of Liga MX and MLS will advance to the quarterfinals.



NYCFC’s Alonso Martinez gave the hosts an early advantage with his second goal of the tournament, but the Cityzens couldn’t hold the lead and were officially eliminated from contention with the loss, finishing group play at 1-2-0 (3 points).

The defeat marked the third time a team dropped points after taking the lead against Toluca in the competition, and the second straight team to lose after striking first.

Arfsten gives Columbus Crew 1-0 win over Club Leon

Max Arfsten scored early in the second half to lift the Columbus Crew to a 1-0 win over León on Tuesday, sealing their second victory of the Leagues Cup group stage. The result temporarily pushed the Crew (2-0-1, 7 points) to the top of the MLS side of the standings.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte recorded his first clean sheet of the tournament, making four key saves to keep León off the board. Schulte now has three shutouts across all competitions this season, including two in regular MLS play.

While the Crew currently lead their group, eight other teams remain in contention to overtake them as opening-phase matches wrap up.

León (0-2-1, 1 point) ended their Leagues Cup campaign without a win and failed to score in their final 259 minutes of action. Their lone goal came from Rogelio Funes Mori in a Matchday 1 draw against CF Montréal.

Togni’s late-strike lifts Pachuca over Houston

Gaston Togni scored an 85th-minute winner to lift visiting Pachuca to a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo, momentarily moving the Tuzos into second place in the Liga MX standings during Leagues Cup group play.

Luis Quiñones opened the scoring in the 23rd minute for Pachuca (2-0-1, 7 points), who continue their pursuit of another continental title after winning the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Houston (0-3-0, 0 points) pulled level in the 82nd minute when Amine Bassi converted a penalty awarded following a VAR review by referee Adonis Carrasco. But the tie was short-lived, as Togni responded just three minutes later to restore Pachuca’s lead.

The Dynamo’s attacking struggles continued, having scored one goal or fewer in 10 of their last 11 matches across all competitions.

Puebla beat CF Montreal 2-1

Ricardo Marín scored in the 73rd minute to complete Puebla’s comeback and secure a 2-1 road win over CF Montréal, keeping their hopes of advancing in the Leagues Cup knockout stage alive.

Emiliano Gómez, who had a first-half penalty saved, redeemed himself with an equaliser earlier in the second half - his second goal of the tournament - setting the stage for Marín’s late winner.

Puebla (2-1-0, 6 points) took full advantage of a lengthy numerical edge after Montréal’s Joel Waterman was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity on the penalty foul.

Despite the disadvantage, Montréal briefly went ahead through Prince Owusu’s second goal of the tournament early in the second half. But the lead didn’t last, and with the loss, Montréal (0-2-1, 2 points) was officially eliminated from the competition.

Both sides ended the match with 10 men after Puebla’s Raul Castillo received a second yellow card in stoppage time.