Late Heartbreak: Toluca Stun Galaxy to Win the Campeones Cup

A Wednesday night at Dignity Health Sports Park had all the makings of a classic — two champions from opposite sides of the border and 90 minutes of end-to-end drama. For LA Galaxy, it was nearly the perfect night. For Toluca FC, it became one for the history books.

Toluca rallied late to defeat the Galaxy 3–2, lifting their first-ever Campeones Cup and swinging the all-time LIGA MX vs. MLS series back in Mexico’s favor.

The Galaxy controlled the match early. Harbor Miller and Joseph Paintsil both had chances inside the opening ten minutes before Diego Fagúndez buried a penalty in the 33rd minute — blasting to the top-left corner after Gabriel Pec was fouled in the box.

Toluca found life after halftime. In the 53rd minute, Nicolás Castro equalized with a powerful strike from outside the area that snuck inside the bottom corner. The visitors briefly thought they had taken the lead in the 79th when João Dias slid home from a free kick, but VAR ruled him offside.

Moments later, the Galaxy struck again. Gabriel Pec restored the lead in the 84th minute with a clinical finish to make it 2–1 and send the Carson crowd into celebration.

But Toluca weren’t done. Franco Romero leveled the match in the 88th minute after a deflected set piece fell kindly to him in the box — and deep into stoppage time, heartbreak hit. From a short corner, a cross into traffic deflected past the keeper to seal the comeback and the crown.

It finished 3–2 to Toluca, who claimed their first Campeones Cup and completed a remarkable 2025 campaign that already included the Torneo Clausura and Campeón de Campeones titles.

For the Galaxy, it was a night that slipped away in the final seconds — control for 80 minutes, chaos in the last ten, and a bitter reminder of how quickly a final can turn.