On Wednesday August 7th, 2025, MLS 2024 champions LA Galaxy earned a victory and the third seed in Phase Two of Leagues Cup 2025 by defeating Liga MX’s Santos Laguna 4-0 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. LA Galaxy began the match needing to beat Santos by two goals to advance from Phase One. The Angelino team not only made it to the next round but earned the third of four seeds with their four-goal shutout.

The Mexican-American #19 Mauricio Cuevas played impressively throughout the match, but most importantly during the first half when the game was decided. He assisted his teammate #28 Joseph Paintsil for a goal in the first minute of the match, energizing the home crowd fans as they became more hopeful their team would advance to the next round of the tournament. Cuevas earned another assists when his pass in the 39th minute resulted in a left-footed close-range goal by his teammate #9 Matheus Nascimento. The 19-year-old Cuevas consistently set his teammates up for good opportunities with precise and timely passes.

Santos hurt their limited opportunities to make the game competitive when #11 Choco Lozano and #26 Ramiro Sordo were expelled from the game to end the first half. Consequently, Santos played the second half with only 9 players on the field. Southern California fans will have the opportunity to watch LA Galaxy play Jimmy Lozano’s Pachuca on Wednesday August 20th, 2025 in the same stadium where LA Galaxy beat Santos.