Chivas gave up a late goal that ended their match with a 2-2 tie against Charlotte FC but won the extra point with a 4-2 shootout that has them all but eliminated out of the 2025 Leagues Cup. Chivas was the slightly better team but once again, a mistake in a late free kick ended up losing them the 3 points. Chivas will now close out their group stage performance with a match against Cincinnati FC.
The first half started with Chivas coming out with a very offensive lineup as they looked to bounce back
from their loss against NY Redbulls in their Leagues Cup opener. After getting the ball in the area, Alan Pulido got off a volley that went well wide. Off a counter, Liel Abada got off a low cross that Gilberto Sepulveda would deflect past Chivas’ goalkeeper Raul Rangel to score the own goal that gave Charlotte the 1-0 lead. From outside the area, Efrain Alvarez got off a left footed shot that forced Charlotte’s goalkeeper, David Bingham, to make a good save. After getting into the area, Bryan Gonzalez got off a left footed shot that went wide. After a very good combination play, Richard Ledezma got off a left footed shot past Bingham to score and tie the match at 1-1. After a foul, there was a scuffle between Ledezma and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty that ended with both players getting a Yellow Card. Because of an injury, Pep Biel had to be subbed out for Eryk Williamson. After getting the tie, Chivas was dominating possession but not creating any danger. From outside the area, Luis Romo got off a right footed shot that went just wide. The halftime whistle blew as Chivas had bounced back to get a deserved tie.
The 2nd half started with both teams hoping to improve, especially up top. A ball bounced in the area but Alvarado’s shot, after he got to the ball, went wide. A left footed shot from Alvarez also went wide. Chivas subbed out an injured Richard Ledezma for Alan Mozo. A cross into the area from Mozo would find Bryan Gonzalez, who got off a great header past Bingham to score the goal that gave them the 2-1 lead. After a longball, Gonzalez got off a left footed shot that went wide. Charlotte subbed out Liel Abada and Bill Tuiloma for Brandon Cambridge and Nathan Byrne. After another longball, Gonzalez got past Bingham to score but it was correctly called off for offside. Chivas subbed out Alan Pulido and Roberto Alvarado for Armando Gonzalez and Yael Padilla. Another left footed shot from Alvarez went wide. Charlotte subbed out Wilfried Zaha and Djibril Diani for Tyger Smalls and Nikola Petkovic. Chivas subbed out Bryan Gonzalez and Efrain Alvarez for Miguel Garcia and Cade Cowell. Off a free kick, Kerwin Vargas got off a right footed shot that surprised Rangel and it got past him to score and tie the match at 2-2. A cross into the area from Gonzalez was saved by Bingham. That bad mistake from Rangel ended up being costly and the match would go to Penalty Kicks.
The Penalty Kick shootout started with Gilberto Sepulveda scoring the first attempt to place the score at 1-0. Eryk Williamson took the first PK for Charlotte and skied it. Miguel Gomez went next and scored to make it 2-0. Nikola Petkovic was next for the home side and scored the 2-1. Luis Romo was the next shooter for Chivas and his shot hit the post. It was a terrible taken PK, with a lackluster effort. Brandt Bronico would score the next shot and tie the shootout at 2-2. Cade Cowell would score a great shot to once again give Chivas the lead at 3-2. Tyger Smalls would get off a shot that would hit Rangel in the face, to indirectly save it. Armando Gonzalez would get off a great shot past Bingham to score and give Chivas the 4-2 win in the shootout.
Once again a key mistake by goalkeeper Raul Rangel on a free kick has Chivas dangerously close to being eliminated from the Leagues Cup. After a late free kick goal gave New York Red Bulls the 1-0 win over Chivas, they now once again stumbled with a late free kick goal that tied the match at 2-2. The win in the Penalty Shootout leaves Chivas with 2 points but with a win against Cincinnati only giving Chivas a possible 5 points, it seems to little to end up in the top 4 places needed to go thru to the knockout stage. The more worrying fact is the number of mistakes on defense that seems to have cost Chivas a place in the next round in the Leagues cup, days after they had played a part in almost losing their home debut in Liga MX against Atletico San Luis. Chivas will close out against Cincinnati FC, a team they have already had a lot of trouble with in previous edition of the competition.
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