NYCFC Sink Santos Laguna in Leagues Cup Opener
New York City FC opened their 2026 Leagues Cup campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory over Liga MX side Santos Laguna, thanks to second half goals from Tayvon Gray and Nicholas Cavallho at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
The night also marked a welcome return for Republic of Ireland international Kevin O'Toole, who made his first appearance since April after recovering from groin surgery. Usually deployed at left back, O'Toole started in central midfield and completed a solid 45 minutes before being replaced at half time.
Clear cut chances were limited during the opening half, but NYCFC looked the more threatening side going forward. Agustín Ojeda caused problems throughout with several efforts on target, while Benie Traoré produced the first real opening in the 28th minute. The winger surged towards the Santos defence before finding Ojeda on the edge of the area. Ojeda patiently waited for Tayvon Gray's overlapping run, and the right back drilled a dangerous low cross into the box that Malachi Jones could only fire into a defender.
Santos Laguna came closest to breaking the deadlock four minutes before the interval. Lucas Di Yorio raced through one on one with Matt Freese, but the NYCFC goalkeeper stood tall to make an excellent save. Although play was eventually brought back for a foul in the build up, Freese was called into action again moments later, producing two more outstanding stops from the resulting free kick and rebound to preserve the clean sheet.
NYCFC nearly grabbed the lead just before the break when Malachi Jones found Andrés Perea on the edge of the penalty area, but the midfielder's curling effort drifted narrowly wide of the top corner.
The breakthrough finally arrived five minutes into the second half. Luigi Santos Sousa struck the post with a powerful effort before the rebound fell perfectly for Tayvon Gray on the edge of the area. The defender met it first time, unleashing a thunderous strike that crashed in off the crossbar to send the home supporters behind the goal into celebration.
The hosts almost doubled their advantage four minutes later. Ojeda found himself in acres of space down the right and waited for support to arrive before picking out Andrés Perea inside the area. The Colombian's powerful effort was well saved by Santos goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo.
A memorable moment followed in the 62nd minute when João Loiola made his senior debut for New York City FC, having officially joined the First Team on loan from NYCFC II earlier in the day.
NYCFC wrapped up the victory in the 66th minute through another milestone moment. Andrés Perea split the Santos defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, sending Nicholas Cavallho clear on goal. The youngster calmly slotted a left footed finish beyond Acevedo to score his first ever goal for the club and double NYCFC's advantage.
Santos pushed for a way back into the match, but Freese continued to frustrate the visitors. The USMNT goalkeeper produced two more outstanding saves in quick succession in the 79th minute, capping off an excellent individual performance that firmly put him in contention for Player of the Match.
The victory gives Pascal Jansen's side the perfect start to their Leagues Cup campaign as NYCFC claimed all three points with a composed display against their Liga MX opponents. They'll be hoping to take that momentum into Sunday's clash against Cruz Azul.
