Matchday two of the Leagues Cup provided plenty of late drama, with games being decided in the final moments, whilst others were forced to a penalty shootout.
The action began in New York City with León in town to face NYCFC, a game which ended in favour of the MLS side, who scored two first-half goals.
Friday night proved to be fruitful for Liga MX sides with wins for Mazatlán, Toluca and Tigres as all three maintain their hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds, whilst Tigres remain the only Mexican side to win their opening two games.
LAFC and Pachuca went the distance in a tense encounter, as Club América and Tigres target Denis Bouanga opened the scoring. Elías Montiel equalised 20 minutes later, but neither side could find a crucial winner. The match turned fiery when LAFC were reduced to ten men after Nathan Ordaz received a straight red card. However, Pachuca’s numerical advantage didn’t last, as Jhonder Cádiz was also sent off in the 83rd minute. The match ultimately went to penalties, where misses from Javier López and Alan Bautista handed the MLS side the extra point.
Saturday's schedule offered even more drama, two goals in the last ten minutes and a red card each forced Inter Miami and Necaxa to a penalty shootout. Necaxa seemed destined to win before Jordi Alba brought the Miami side back into the game in added time, but Tomas Baldoni was denied from the spot to lose the shootout.
Club América shared six goals with Minnesota United before Las Águilas were able to grab the extra point from the shootout as a double from Adalberto Carrasquilla helped Pumas to get past Atlanta United, although the Panamanian had luck on his side to score the rebound off a missed spotkick. There was time for Keylor Navas to join the red card club as left-back Álvaro Angulo covered in goal as Pumas retained all three points.
Defeats for Atlas and Querétaro confirmed their exits from the competition. As only four teams can qualify from the MLS and Liga MX, losses for both teams made it mathematically impossible for either side to finish in the top four positions, even with one final game still to be played.
On Sunday night, Chivas conceded a last-gasp equaliser against Charlotte FC but managed to win the shootout as there were penalty wins for Monterrey and Cruz Azul, who managed to recover from their initial shock 7-0 defeat last time out.
Tijuana picked up their first win of the competition after leaking five against the LA Galaxy in the first game. Los Xolos took a two-goal lead before the Colorado Rapids got one back to make it a nervy conclusion.
Leagues Cup Review: Full results
Friday 1 August 2025
NYCFC 2-0 León
Columbus Crew 3-1 Puebla
Houston Dynamo 0-2 Mazatlán
Toluca 2-1 Montreal Impact
LAFC 1 (4) - (2) 1 Pachuca
Tigres 2-1 San Diego
Saturday 2 August 2025
Orlando City 3-1 Atlas
Inter Miami 2 (5) - (4) 2 Necaxa
Club América 3 (8) - (7) 3 Minnesota United
Pumas 3-2 Atlanta United
Real Salt Lake 2 (1) - (4) 2 San Luis
Portland Timbers 1-0 Querétaro
Sunday 3 August 2025
Cincinnati 2 (3) - (4) 2 FC Juárez
Chivas 2 (4) - (2) 2 Charlotte
Monterrey 1 (5) - (3) 1 New York Red Bulls
Colorado Rapids 1-2 Tijuana
LA Galaxy 1 (7) - (8) Cruz Azul
Seattle Sounders 2-1 Santos Laguna
One game remains as only four teams can qualify for the quarter-finals. After the second round of games, Tigres, Juárez, Mazatlán and Pumas occupy those spots, but Toluca are hot on their heels, level on points. Any slip-up from the teams above will hand the chance to Necaxa and Pachuca to make a late push, who are just one point behind.
Which was your favourite game in the second round of Phase One matches in the Leagues Cup? Let us know!