Close, dramatic finishes are becoming a hallmark of the 2025 Leagues Cup, and Friday night was no exception. CF Cruz Azul needed a marathon 18-penalty shootout to defeat LA Galaxy 8-7 after a 1-1 draw in regulation, bouncing back from a crushing 7-0 opening loss.
La Máquina came out aggressive from the start, nearly scoring in the 2nd minute when Ángel Sepúlveda fired a powerful right-footed shot from inside the box, only to be denied by a strong save from Novak Micovic.
The breakthrough came shortly after, thanks to a well-executed combination between two “Carlos.” Rotondi delivered a precise cross from the left side to Carlos “Charly” Rodríguez, who struck a lethal left-footed finish to give Cruz Azul a 1-0 lead.
Despite continuing to apply pressure and generate chances, Cruz Azul couldn’t extend the lead before halftime. LA Galaxy, meanwhile, began to show more urgency in attack as they searched for the equalizer.
In the second half, Cruz Azul remained dangerous, with efforts from José Paradela, Rotondi, Mateusz Bogusz, and Mateo Levy threatening to double the lead. But either the post or Micovic kept them out — a failure that would come back to haunt them.
In the 81st minute, Galaxy finally found the breakthrough. Mauricio Cuevas threaded a perfect ball between two defenders to Gabriel Pec, who slid in and slotted home to level the match at 1-1. Both sides pushed for a winner in the final minutes, but the deadlock held, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
The spot kicks turned into a nerve-wracking rollercoaster. Both teams converted their first five attempts flawlessly, forcing sudden death. After four more perfect rounds, Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier came up big, stopping Edwin Cerrillo’s attempt — only for Jesús Orozco to hit the crossbar moments later and prolong the shootout.
Mier would not be denied, however. The Colombian keeper made another crucial save, this time against Emiro Garcés, setting the stage for Mateo Levy to bury the decisive penalty and secure Cruz Azul’s first two points of the tournament.
With the win, Cruz Azul is technically still alive in Leagues Cup 2025 but their -7 goal differential drastically hurts their chances. As for the Galaxy, after an impressive 5-2 win in their opener they are still in a good spot but will now need a positive result in their final match to advance.
¡El héroe de @CruzAzul! 🧤🤩 Kevin Mier saved two penalties to keep La Máquina con esperanza de avanzar and he’s your MOTM pres. by GEICO 🔥🚂! #LeaguesCup2025 pic.twitter.com/MBEVDs5dOW
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 4, 2025
- Cruz Azul Head Coach Nicolás Larcamón“The truth is that today was a very important test for all of us, especially internally. We had the responsibility and the task of responding immediately to what happened on that fateful night in Seattle, sincerely.”
- LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney“It’s a tough way that they play, it’s disruptive, it reminded me of the (Matías) Almeyda Chivas and the way they played against us, like San José as well (…) I thought the second half was better even though they controlled the majority of the game, I felt we had better chances.”
- Cruz Azul:Goalkeeper Kevin Mier was brilliant all night and dazzled in the shootout with two key saves
- LA Galaxy:Gabriel Pec scored their only goal of the night in the 81st minute to force the shootout
- The penalty shootout was certainly thrilling as it took 18 total attempts between the two sides.
- It was certainly an improvement defensively for Cruz Azul, who only allowed four shot attempts after allowing a Leagues Cup record seven goals in their last game vs Seattle.
- Carlos Rodríguez scored the lone goal for Cruz Azul, he now has three goals in his last three games across all competitions.
- Yellow CardsCruz Azul: Ignacio Rivero, Érik Lira, Jeremy Márquez
- LA Galaxy: Marco Reus, Joseph Paintsil, Diego Fagúndez, Maya Yoshida, Emiro Garcés
- LA Galaxy will play their third game against Santos Laguna at Dignity Health Sports Park at 11:00pm ET on August 7, hoping to add three more points to have a legitimate chance of advancing to the knockout stages.
- CF Cruz Azul will play their third game against Colorado Rapids at Dignity Health Sports Park at 8:30pm ET on August 7, obligated to obtain three points to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
