Galaxy concede in stoppage time, fall to Toluca in Campeones Cup Final

CARSON, Calif. -- In the club’s final meaningful match of 2025, the LA Galaxy conceded two set-piece goals in the closing moments to fall 3-2 to Liga MX’s Toluca in the Campeones Cup final Wednesday night. 

The decisive goal came in the 94th minute from a corner kick, ending any hope the Galaxy had of salvaging a trophy from a disappointing season.

“The effort by the group for 95 minutes was excellent,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “I thought we came out in the second half just a touch passive. We needed to maintain a little bit of aggression, but I think we regained it after going 1-1.”

The Galaxy jumped out to a 1-0 first-half lead, earned through a Diego Fagundez penalty, but it was erased by Toluca's persistent pressure as Nicolas Castro found the equalizer early in the second half. 

The Galaxy had taken a 2-1 lead in the 83rd minute on a goal from Gabriel Pec, but the victory was ultimately undone by a collapse on defensive details. 

Toluca's equalizer in the 88th minute and the winner in stoppage time both originated from set piece situations.

Vanney drew a direct parallel to the club's late-season collapse in Houston the previous year, which cost the team the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

 “We had a shot across the bow when they scored on a set piece, and we got an offsides call on that one. And that should have been the wake-up call for us,” Vanney said. “It ends up being two goals off of set pieces... I feel like a lot of work got thrown into the bin in the last five minutes.”

While he acknowledged his team’s effort and congratulated his opponents, Vanney was scathing in his criticism of the match officials and Toluca’s conduct, which he felt overshadowed the product on the field. 

“The amount of chaos on the field is total nonsense. It's so disrespectful to the game,” Vanney stated. “I commend our guys for staying out there while they lifted the trophy, because we showed them respect when they showed the game disrespect, the whole game.”

Both teams combined for eight yellow cards, five for the Galaxy and three for the visitors. Toluca’s head coach, Antonio Mohamed, was given a red card and sent off at halftime after arguing with the officials.

“It’s disrespectful to spectacle that this game is supposed to be. Two championship teams playing each other and the chaos they created is just not right,” Vanney said. “Congratulations to them, but its not just about winning and losing. For me it’s about respecting the game. 

Vanney said the locker room was “highly disappointed” and “gutted,” calling the loss “an uppercut at the end of the fight.” He now faces the task of rallying his team for the final stretch of the season.

Next, the Galaxy will travel to Texas to face FC Dallas on Sat. Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m.