By Justin Ruderman
If you enjoy drama, this was the game for you.
In a match they never led, América personified resilience by erasing three separate deficits to send their 3-3 draw with Minnesota United to penalties, where Luis Malagón came up trumps to set off the limbs among a raucous pro-Las Águilas crowd at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday night.
As expected, Las Águilas dominated possession from the opening kickoff to the tune of 70% in the first half. For the Loons, that is by choice, and it’s clear to see why. When América fell asleep for a moment in the 17th minute, Minnesota punished them with a quick, direct counter straight down the spine of the field, from goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair to playmaker Joaquín Pereyra to goalscorer Tani Oluwaseyi in the blink of an eye.
Ten minutes later, Las Águilas benefited from a deflected cross into the MNUFC box as Michael Boxall unintentionally headed the ball into his own net to level the scoring. Luckily, the Loons had their captain’s back with an immediate response from where else but a throw-in. On this occasion, Oluwaseyi fed Pereyra into the endline half space to play a cutback cross for Bongi Hlongwane’s tap-in.
The América pressure would only continue to mount after the break, though, as Las Águilas equalized again just eight minutes into the second half. U.S international Alejandro Zendejas served an inviting cross to the back post for José Raúl Zuñiga to head home, and América was back on the front foot. As was the trend in the match, however, whenever things started to go Las Águilas' way, something inevitably changed the game flow. In this case, Igor Lichnovski got himself sent off with a second yellow card within ten minutes of equalizing.
Less than 90 seconds later, Carlos Harvey quickly capitalized to put MNUFC back on top with a pinpoint grasscutter into the opposite corner from the edge of the box, of course, on a recycled set piece. Still, as always, América would just not go away. Down a man in the 90th minute, Sebastián Cáceres towered above everyone to head in Las Águilas' third equalizer of the game.
Before the focus shifted to the goalkeepers in a penalty shootout, both shotstoppers were called upon in stoppage time as St. Clair showed off his MLS All-Star chops with a crucial point-blank save, only to be outshone by Mexico’s No. 1 goalkeeper Luis Malagón producing one of the best reaction saves you will see all tournament with an outstretched left paw to send the game to penalties - the second shootout in as many games for América.
Following seven rounds of perfect penalties from both sides, Malagón came up with a kick save on Nicolas Romero, opening the door for Isaías Violante to secure a second point on the night for América by blasting the winning penalty into the mesh. Despite never leading in the match, Las Águilas simply would not be denied. América emerges victorious in the shootout.
REACTIONS
- América Head Coach André Jardine:
- “We are somehow calm because we know that we have a team that's committed, that they're willing. They want to win again. That's very clear. A team that never gives up, a team that will fight for every single opportunity, in every single tournament. So this represents us, of course.”
- MNUFC Head Coach Eric Ramsey:
- “I wanted to win, but ultimately, I wanted the players to show that they are capable of competing with, I would say, the next bracket of teams up from us and Club América certainly represent that. Certainly one of, if not the strongest side in this competition. I'm sure when I look back tomorrow, in the cold delight of the analysis, I’ll feel really, really pleased with a lot of what we saw tonight.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Minnesota United:
- Tani Oluwaseyi: Speed, strength and sauce. The Canadian international tossed his defender to the floor as he sprinted forward to net the opening goal. Plus, he drew the red card.
- Joaquín Pereyra: The Argentine creator produced a hat trick of assists in a memorable Rolls-Royce performance.
- Club América:
- Sebastián Cáceres: A 90th-minute equalizer? Yeah, that’ll get you into the players of the match.
- Luis Malagón: The Mexican international produced a world-class save to send the match to penalties, where he made the only save from either keeper.
GAME NOTES
- Bongi Hlowngwane (9) is closing in on Lionel Messi (10) for second place on the all-time Leagues Cup goalscoring charts.
- Both América games at Leagues Cup 2025 have gone to penalties as a result of a Las Águilas equalizer in the 90th minute or later. This time, they won the shootout.
- Since beating the Houston Dynamo on penalties in their inaugural Leagues Cup 2019 match, América had lost five straight competitive Leagues Cup shootouts (excluding the friendly Leagues Cup 2022 showcase). That streak ended on Saturday.
- América is 9th in the LIGA MX Phase One table on three points; MNUFC is 3rd on the MLS side with four points.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow cards:
- América: Isaías Violante
- Red cards:
- América: Igor Lichnovsky (Second yellow)
LOOKING AHEAD:
- MNUFC head back home to Allianz Field on Wednesday to host San Luis in their final Phase One match, hoping seven points would be enough to reach the quarterfinals.
- América stick around in Texas, heading to Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium to conclude Phase One against the Portland Timbers, aiming to reach a six-point total.
