New York City FC starts Leagues Cup with 2-0 victory over Santos Laguna
- Jorge "Jumpy" Martinez
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
August 6, 2026 Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, NJ
New York City FC began its 2026 Leagues Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mexican side Santos Laguna in front of 12,275 spectators at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Second half goals from Tayvon Gray and Nico Cavallo secured all three points, while Matt Freese made several impressive saves to preserve the clean sheet.
NYCFC welcomed Santos Laguna in a match played at the home of their rival the New York Red Bulls. Coach Pascal Jansen introduced a rotated squad which included starters mixed with some reserve players. The first half would be a back and forth affair for the two North American squads. NYCFC keeper Matt Freese and Santos Laguna's Carlos Acevedo would be busy in the first half, with Freese notably making crucial saves on a free-kick and diving header. Despite the action, the match would go to the break tied at zero.
The match breakthrough would come for New York as fullback Tayvon Gray would break the tie in the 50th minute, smashing a rebound under the crossbar to put NYCFC up 1-0. Gray who was making his 170th appearance for the club would celebrate his first career goal in Leagues Cup. NYCFC would take control of the match and in the 66th minute homegrown talent Nico Cavallo would double the lead scoring his first goal for the senior team, sliding behind the Santos defense to finish a pass sequence from Andrés Perea.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese would earn player of the match honors, as he would record six crucial saves—including a stellar triple-save sequence in the 79th minute—to keep the clean sheet. At one point, Santos Laguna's Diego González would find the back of the net deep in stoppage time, but the goal would be ultimately disallowed due to a foul in the buildup. NYCFC would hold on to the lead and begin the Leagues Cup campaign with an important three points.
NYCFC coach Pascal Jansen commented on the match:
“We were looking forward to this tournament very much. It was the opening game for us
tonight [in Leagues Cup]. Santos Laguna obviously didn’t have a great start in their own league[LIGA MX], which just got underway. I think you could see how much we were looking forward to this competition. The first half was decent, the second half was better with some beautiful goals and good play. I’m also very happy with the clean sheet because, even when you don’t finish a team off with more goals, one goal can spark something and give them a way back into the game. We didn’t allow that to happen. So I’m very pleased with the opening game, but we have to remain calm and humble, prepare ourselves for a quick turnaround, and get ready for the second game."
Comments