Toluca comes back and paints Yankee Stadium red

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, p. a12

Toluca knows what it's like to win in adverse circumstances. It's not that their opponents are easy to beat, but the reigning Mexican soccer champions are shaping the theory of a segment of fans and analysts of the sport that assumes exponential growth in MLS over Liga MX. The Diablos are the first participant in the national tournament to advance to the next phase of the Leagues Cup with a draw and two wins, including yesterday's 2-1 victory over New York City FC at the legendary Yankee Stadium.

If there was a team that competed under protest from the start of the tournament, it was Toluca. Their coach, Argentine Antonio Mohamed, criticized the changes in format, the saturation of matches, the travel, and the limited recovery time for his players between matches. "It's unfair, because winning all three matches can lead to elimination ," the Turk claimed in his first press conferences.

The wear and tear took its toll on the Devils, but not enough. Like Montreal and the Columbus Crew, whom they defeated on penalties, New York City received a slap in the face from the Mexican champion despite leading from the 10th minute, when Alonso Martínez beat goalkeeper Luis Manuel García with a right-footed shot. The Scarlets' reaction was swift. With two strikes from the left and right, Jesús Angulo (37) and the Portuguese Paulinho (39) turned the game around and, in the process, paid tribute to Uruguayan Bruno Méndez, who suffered the loss of his father.

▲ Portuguese forward Paulinho continues to respond, scoring the Scarlets' comeback goal yesterday. Photo @Tolucafc

Mohamed's team earned eight out of nine possible points, leading the Liga MX table.

In Montreal, Puebla defeated the home team 2-1 with goals from Emiliano Gómez (58) and Ricardo Marín (73). Puebla, still waiting to confirm their place in the knockout stages, was reduced to one man after Raúl Castillo was sent off. Canadian Joel Waterman also received a red card.

León faced a different reality when participating in this tournament. Excluded from the Club World Cup due to timeshare, La Fiera returned to the international scene with the Leagues Cup, although they ended up going away without a win in three matches. Yesterday, at Lower Field, the Columbus Crew won 1-0, sealing the return of the Esmeraldas.

Finally, Pachuca authoritatively resolved the challenge that the Houston Dynamo posed to them at the Shell Energy stadium and, thanks to goals from Luis Quiñones (24) and Gastón Togni (85), entered the group of Mexican representatives who are heading towards the playoffs .

Arturo Sánchez Jiménez

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, p. a12

The governments of Canada, the United States, and Mexico held the first high-level trilateral coordination meeting to prepare for the security of the 2026 World Cup, with a special focus on preventing threats from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS), the U.S. State Department reported yesterday.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente; Mexico's World Cup representative, Gabriela Cuevas; Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup working group; senior officials from the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council; and Cameron MacKay, Canadian Ambassador to Mexico, among others.

In a joint statement, the three governments emphasized that the 2026 World Cup will be a historic tournament for North America, uniting the three nations and showcasing their capacity for regional cooperation to the world. In this context, a three-day exchange of experts in security, technology, and public policy was held to address challenges related to the use of drones and strengthen joint response capabilities.

The meeting included a roundtable discussion with leading companies from Canada, Mexico, and the United States, enabling a public-private dialogue on technological solutions and innovative strategies to mitigate threats. According to the statement, this collaboration seeks to close policy and technology gaps that could affect the three countries' ability to respond to emerging risks.

The governments of the three nations emphasized that this meeting is the first in a series of initiatives aimed at ensuring a safe and successful World Cup. The trilateral coordination, based on information sharing, joint planning, and cooperation with industry, reflects the shared commitment to regional security and the protection of tournament attendees.

Working together will ensure that the 2026 World Cup is not only a celebration of sport, but also a testament to the strength of our partnership and the values we share , the statement concluded.

▲ At Snapdragon Stadium in California, Mazatlán FC fell 2-0 to San Diego FC and was practically eliminated. Photo: San Diego FC

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, p. a35

Tigres had the match under control, but their errors and LAFC's decisiveness resulted in their first defeat in the Leagues Cup, falling 2-1 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. The Tigres now need a combination of results to advance to the next round of the tournament being played in the United States.

Despite the dominance the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL) team had in the first half, goals from Venezuelan David Martínez (38 from a penalty kick and 64 from a penalty kick) turned the game around for the Angelenos. Martínez took advantage of his skill and ability in the long spaces and made no mistake when finishing his plays against Argentine goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán.

Although Edgar Lopez's goal brought the Monterrey team closer (47), LAFC closed ranks to secure the victory and place themselves in playoff qualification positions.

Meanwhile, at Snap-Dragon Stadium in California, Mazatlán FC fell 2-0 to San Diego FC and was practically eliminated after three matches of the tournament.

Finland's Onni Valakari scored a brace and became the star of the match (66 and 74). Due to the desperation and superiority of their opponent, the Sinaloans suffered the expulsion of Colombian Nicolás Benedetti.