Toluca and Mazatlán save the day for Liga MX in the 2025 Leagues Cup.

The second round of the 2025 Leagues Cup brought a mixed bag of results for Mexican teams. While León and Puebla complicated their tournament prospects with painful defeats to MLS clubs, Toluca and Mazatlán prevailed and maintained their strong aspirations for the round of 16.

In an efficient and organized performance, Mazatlán FC defeated Houston Dynamo 2-0 away, earning their first win of the tournament after a draw in their debut. The Sinaloa team earned five points in their group, positioning themselves as one of the best-performing Mexican clubs so far.

The first goal came in the 25th minute from a set piece: Nicolás Benedetti took a corner kick that Facundo Almada headed home to open the scoring. In the second half, Fábio Gomes sealed the win in the 57th minute after an assist from Benedetti during a counterattack.

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With this result, Mazatlán not only secured a spot in the fight for the round of 16, but also demonstrated a more solid and effective version of its game plan, standing out for its tactical discipline and capitalizing on opportunities.

Another of the day's protagonists was Deportivo Toluca , who secured a 2-1 victory over CF Montreal at the Red Bull Arena . Antonio Mohamed 's team recovered from a poor start and earned three vital points that give them five points in their group.

Montreal took the lead in the 20th minute with a header from Efraín Morales off a corner, but Jesús Angulo equalized three minutes later with a cross shot after an assist from Helinho .

The key moment came in the 26th minute, when Portuguese forward Paulinho executed a spectacular overhead kick to make it 2-1, one of the tournament's most notable moments so far.

In the second half, Montreal pressed for an equalizer, even hitting the post with a shot, but the Scarlet defense held firm until the final whistle. Toluca was well positioned heading into the final matchday, relying on itself to advance.

Unlike Toluca and Mazatlán, León once again raised doubts after falling 2-0 to New York City FC , accumulating just one point in two matches. Eduardo Berizzo 's team was outclassed from the start and failed to react to the New York team's dominance.

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Alonso Martínez and Axel Ojeda scored NYCFC 's goals, while James Rodríguez , the Guanajuato club's star signing, missed a second-half penalty that could have turned the game around. The Colombian started but had little impact and failed to lead a comeback.

León , who had already drawn with Montreal , will close the group stage with little chance of advancing. Beyond the numbers, the team's performance and lack of leadership on the field are worrying.

La Franja also had a poor result. They were beaten 3-1 by Columbus Crew after conceding three goals in the first half. Malte Amundsen , Diego Rossi , and Marcelo Herrera scored for the American team, while Esteban Lozano pulled one back for Puebla before halftime.

Although Pablo Guede 's team showed some resilience in the second half, it wasn't enough to turn things around. With one win and one loss, Puebla will play for a spot in the final match against Montreal in a crucial match.

While Toluca and Mazatlán made a good impression and earned important points, other Mexican clubs continue to raise doubts in the Leagues Cup . The inconsistency of teams like León and Puebla reflects a gap that some MLS teams have been able to exploit.

With one matchday left in the group stage, the outlook could still change. But for now, Diablos Rojos and Cañoneros represent the best side of Liga MX in the binational tournament.