New York City FC lost to Deportivo Toluca 2-1 in the final Phase One game of 2025 Leagues Cup after failing to keep an early lead. A NYCFC win likely wouldn't have been enough for the hosts to make it to the knockout round, but the loss officially eliminated New York City from the tournament — and guaranteed that Toluca advances.
Toluca is one of the top clubs in Liga MX and was the better team on the night, but NYCFC will feel hard done by VAR and referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere after a number of questionable decisions went against the home team.
The game was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, but it was Toluca's fans who showed out — the stands were awash in red shirts, and the most vocal chants were for Los Diablos. Phase One still has twelve games remaining, but now that NYCFC is out, the squad can fully focus on the final 10 matches remaining in the MLS season.
New York City: 0.62 xG, 9 shots, 3 shots on target, 57% possession, 493 passes, 81% pass accuracy, 13 fouls, 4 corners, 4 saves
Toluca: 2.45 xG, 13 shots, 6 shots on target, 43% possession, 373 passes, 78% pass accuracy, 10 fouls, 2 corners, 2 saves
Goals:
• New York City, Alonso Martínez, 10’
• Toluca, Jesús Angulo, 37’
• Toluca, Paulinho, 39’
Attendance: 18,496
New York City strikes first
The match got off to an energetic start, with both teams seeing plenty of early chances. But it was NYCFC that struck first when Alonso Martínez scored in the 10th minute, curling a shot just past the reach of the Toluca goalkeeper Luis Garcia.
Alonso Martínez strikes first | Courtesy NYCFC
NYCFC continued to look confident and dangerous despite Toluca's highly technical players progressing the ball into dangerous spaces. The turning point came late in the second half when Toluca struck twice in rapid succession, scoring in the 37th and 39th minutes and flipping the game on its head. NYCFC was left stunned — not just by the rapid-fire turnaround, but by the controversy surrounding the decision regarding Toluca's second goal.
The assistant referee waved Paulinho offside when the goal was scored, and referee Lauziere agreed. But then VAR intervened, and after a lengthy check that looked to be inconclusive based on the images made available to the public, the on-field decision was overturned and the goal was allowed to stand.
Was the original call a clear and obvious error? Seemingly not given how much time VAR needed to review the play, and given that the final angle is difficult to read. Look at the image below, and it seems that Paulinho is offside, with his right shoulder turned towards the goal extending well beyond NYCFC defender Justin Haak. But VAR ruled that Haak kept Paulinho onside, giving Toluca what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Here's a freeze frame of what was deemed to be onside:
Spicy in The Bronx
Tempers boiled over just before half-time as physical play led to scrapping between players. Lauziere, who had allowed for Toluca's aggressive physical play to go unchecked earlier in the game, handed out four yellow cards in first-half stoppage time after a brawl erupted between the two sides. The fight started when Toluca's Marcel Ruiz fouled Maxi Moralez, then looked to kick him again when he was down.
Both teams converged, with Toluca defender Federico Pereira putting Strahinja Tanasijević in a chokehold before the two were separated — Tanasijević responded with a small headbutt. Tempers flared again when Moralez confronted Toluca's Jesús Angulo, who responded by slapping Moralez's face.
The confrontation wasn't surprising given Lauziere's inability to control the game.
Andrew Leigh
"Home" game?
Yankee Stadium is red: From the opening whistle, the vocal crowd was in Toluca's favor. The stadium was filled with red shirts and loud chants from Toluca supporters, which gave the game a different feel from what you usually see in Major League Soccer. NYCFC’s fans were present, but they were outnumbered, outshouted, and outclassed by Toluca supporters who showed the home side what an atmosphere can be.
It seemed to rattle NYCFC. The team couldn’t put chances away or capitalize on Toluca’s lack of experience playing on a converted baseball field: Toluca looked more comfortable than you'd expect so far away from Estadio Nemesio Díez.
NYCFC had enough chances to steal a result that arguably they didn't deserve, but that still was within reach.
New York City's lone goal outperformed the xG of 0.62 per g+ GameFlow, but the home team could have easily scored again. NYCFC hit the bar twice: Soccer, as the saying goes, is a game of inches, and NYCFC learned that the hard way.
Off the woodwork | Courtesy Leagues Cup
Martínez wasn't just NYCFC's only scorer; he was one of the team's few bright spots. Both Moralez and Agustín Ojeda – who assisted the goal – had solid showings, but the burden of attacking productivity fell largely on Martínez. The rest of the front line didn’t deliver.
While NYCFC entered the tournament as underdogs, getting the team's players to perform at a high level is crucial. With must-win games looming in the MLS regular season, Jansen and his staff must quickly identify what went wrong over the last three games. Even if Leagues Cup was a disappointment for NYCFC, how they respond in the coming league games will define the season.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Toluca, Federico Pereira, yellow card, foul 45'+8'
• Toluca, Jesús Gallardo, yellow card, foul 45'+8'
• New York City, Aiden O’Neill, yellow card, foul 45'+8'
• New York City, Strahinja Tanasijević, yellow card, foul 45'+8'
• Toluca, Franco Romero, yellow card, foul 57’
• Toluca, Robert Morales, yellow card, foul 87’
Officials
• Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
• Assistant referees: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt, Gerard-Kader Lebuis
• Fourth official: Filip Dujic
• VAR: Tatiana Guzmán
• Assistant VAR: Tristley Bassue
