LA Galaxy defeat Xolos in penalties & will play Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup semifinals
Los Angeles Galaxy and Xolos de Tijuana kicked off their first Leagues Cup match in front of an evenly split crowd in Carson, California. The new tournament will allow Liga MX and MLS teams to showcase their football and could set-off new rivalries. Also, enable the youngsters to display their football ability.
The game started with dominance from “La Jauria” and an LA Galaxy that was finding difficulty getting past midfield. The first chance for a goal came in the first minute of the game from Xolos. Shortly after, LA Galaxy opened up the scoreboard with a goal from Emmanuel Boateng on a shot inside the box from Kai Koreniuk that deflected into the goal off Boateng’s leg. The goal gave Los Galacticos some breathing room by leaving behind Xolo’s dominance.
Tijuana quickly responded and got one back. At minute 32 Ariel Nahuelpan puts the ball into the back of the net to tie things up 1-1. In the 44th minute, Xolos created a decent play that sets up their second goal of the game, this time by Washington Camacho to give Los Xoloscuintles the 2-1 lead heading into the lockers.
The Galaxy came back ready to give Los de Tijuana a fight in the second half. With both teams creating opportunities, Dave Romney capitalized in one of those with a header from an Efrain Alvarez corner that sends the ball into the net giving the Galaxy the equalizer at the 53rd minute.
The game got more intense, and both teams became frustrated, trying to avoid extra time. Due to the frustration, Galaxy player Julian Araujo receives a red card at minute 93.
Xolos and Galaxy both fail to obtain a goal, and with full time completed, a penalty shootout ensues. Taking advantage of their home presence, Los Galacticos manage to surpass Xolos de Tijuana and win the shootout. Xolos gets disqualified from the tournament, and LA Galaxy must face a mighty Cruz Azul in the next round of the Leagues Cup.
