Toluca FC lifted the 2025 Michelob Ultra Campeones Cup after a stunning 3-2 comeback against LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park. The trophy stayed on American soil, but what stood out was the Mexican side’s grit coming from behind twice and sealing the win in stoppage time. For the Californians, the loss cut deeper than just another bad night. It underlined a season that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Toluca withstands, responds, and wins late
Galaxy started brightly, pushed on by the crowd and a sharp Gabriel Pec. It was Pec who drew the foul that led to Diego Fagúndez’s first-half penalty, giving the hosts an early advantage. But Toluca didn’t fold. Early in the second half, Nicolás Castro fired a precise strike from distance to level the match.
From there, chaos took over. Paulinho thought he had given Toluca the lead, only for VAR to rule him offside. The call fired up both teams, and minutes later Pec struck again, restoring Galaxy’s edge.
Just when it seemed the cup would stay in Los Angeles, it all collapsed. Franco Romero unleashed a thunderous shot in the 88th to equalize, and Federico Pereira rose in stoppage time to head home the winner in the 94th. Galaxy had no response. A chance to end their year with silverware slipped away in brutal fashion.
Galaxy sinks further into a lost season
This final carried meaning beyond the trophy. Toluca arrived as Campeón de Campeones winners and showed resilience even after coach Antonio Mohamed was ejected at halftime for dissent. They stayed calm, focused, and finished the job. Galaxy, on the other hand, remain trapped in a nightmare 2025. They sit 15th in the West with just 24 points and five league wins. Losing the Campeones Cup only added to the image of a fallen giant that no longer finds its footing.
Liga MX edges ahead of MLS
The result also shifted the balance of the competition. Since its launch in 2018, the Campeones Cup had been split evenly, three wins each for MLS and Liga MX. Toluca’s triumph in Los Angeles tipped the scale 4-3 toward Mexico. The tournament was created as a partnership, but once again the pattern is clear, Liga MX clubs bring the edge in tradition, grit, and competitiveness.
Toluca left with the trophy and the glory: goals, drama, their coach sent off, and a stunned crowd watching the comeback unfold. Galaxy walked away with nothing but confirmation that 2025 belongs to one of the darkest chapters in their history.