Toluca did it again.
Alexis Vega scored in the fourth minute with Helinho adding an insurance goal in the 70th minute as the Diablos Rojos beat Monterrey 2-0 Sunday, Sept. 6 in Houston to win the 2026 Leagues Cup final.
In addition to winning the two-bowled trophy awarded to the winner of the tournament that pits Liga MX clubs against their MLS counterparts, Toluca also secures a bye to the round of 16 of the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. Monterrey and León, which beat Club América earlier Sunday in the third-place game, also qualify to the CCC through the Leagues Cup.
Vega took advantage of lax play from Monterrey to give Toluca an early lead. After a Toluca scoring chance seemed to go wanting when it bounced off the post, Monterrey midfielder
Orbelin Pineda had the ball at his feet in the box. He was too slow to clear it, however, and Vega picked his pocket. The Toluca attacker finished off the opening goal with his first touch of the ball, much to the frustration of the pro-Rayados crowd in south Texas.
¡Gol de los Diablos! Alexis Vega abre la gran final de #LeaguesCup2026 🔥
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) September 7, 2026
El capitán rompe el cero y pone a @TolucaFC al frente ante @Rayados 👹
Live on @AppleTV 📺 https://t.co/rQWk93E9Zk pic.twitter.com/vxBoEG4SKj
It was a frenetic start to the match, with a pair of Monterrey scoring chances sandwiched around Vega's opener. Rayados forward Hugo Cuypers put a header just off target in the third minute, and in the sixth minute, Toluca goalkeeper Hugo Gonzalez was able to stop a shot on target from Lucas Ocampos.
But Toluca was able to find success down the wings and limit Monterrey's forays forward for the rest of the half. After a bright start to the second half from Monterrey, Toluca manager Antonio Mohamed responded with four substitutions in quick succession – two in the 61st minute and two in the 68th.
The modifications worked as Helinho scored a vintage Toluca goal, as midfielder Franco Romero surged forward on the counter-attack and set up forward Federico Viñas. The Uruguayan's shot was saved, but Helinho was rewarded for making a back-post run, tapping in the rebound and running off to celebrate his goal.
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández (@CH14_) cuenta las claves del segundo gol de @TolucaFC en la gran final de #LeaguesCup2026 🎙️🔥
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) September 7, 2026
Watch the game on @AppleTV 📺 https://t.co/rQWk93E9Zk pic.twitter.com/qfPNNTo7WG
How many trophies has Antonio Mohamed won with Toluca?
The trophy is another in an impressive stretch under the watch of manager Antonio Mohamed for Toluca, a club based in the city of the same name in the state of Mexico around 40 miles southwest of Mexico City. The Diablos Rojos won back-to-back Liga MX titles in 2025, winning both the Clausura and Apertura – Mexico's short tournaments. They also won the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, beating Tigres on penalties in the final.
The club also won the 2025 Campeon de Campeones, a preseason match against a fellow Liga MX team, and the 2025 Campeons Cup, a one-off game between the Campeon de Campeones winner and the holder of the MLS Cup. If those two non-major titles are included, Mohamed becomes Toluca's most successful manager all-time with six trophies, passing the legendary Nacho Trelles who led Toluca between 1966 and 1972.
Now, the club can add becoming the first Liga MX club to win the expanded Leagues Cup to its list of achievements. Later this year, it will meet the winner of the 2026 Copa Libertadores in FIFA's Intercontinental Cup, and its CCC title also booked a place in the 2029 Club World Cup should the format stay the same.
For now, it turns its attention back to league play not only having won another trophy but also recuperating one of its biggest stars.
Already leading 2-0, Mohamed brought Paulinho off the bench. in the 78th minute. The Portuguese forward named best player in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and top player in Liga MX in 2024–25, hasn't played since the 2026 CCC final after suffering a calf tear.
Toluca returns to league play Saturday, Sept. 12, with a home match against Atlas, the same day Rayados host their crosstown rival Tigres in the Clásico Regio.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Toluca wins Leagues Cup with Vega, Helinho scoring to beat Monterrey
