Columbus Crew defeated by Toluca in Penalty Shootout 2-2 (4-2)

With a trophy to defend and expectations to match, the Crew opened their Leagues Cup campaign hoping to rediscover the magic that fueled last year’s title run — but the night didn’t unfold as planned.

The Crew lost to Deportivo Toluca F.C. 2-2 (4-2) Tuesday night at Lower.com Field, after leading for more than half of the action, but ultimately fell in a shootout.  

Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy was neutral with his feelings towards the club’s performance, acknowledging their improvements from the loss to Orlando City last Friday.  

“In terms of outcomes this is not the result that we wanted,” Nancy said. “I think that in terms of what we wanted to improve tonight, we did it, control the little things…but again, I think that all the goals [given up] can be avoided.”

Both clubs came out of the gate with a fast pace in the opening minutes, trading possession of the ball back and forth. 

The psychality was rampant, as in the 11th minute, a foul inside the box by a Toluca defender turned into a free kick goal from midfielder Diego Rossi.

Other than a waived-off free kick for Toluca due to an offside violation, scoring chances were few and far between; however, the intensity was apparent, as both clubs combined for six fouls in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

At halftime, the only shot on target of the five Columbus took was the penalty goal. Toluca had six shots with four on target, while also controlling possession of the ball for 55.6% of game time. 

With the second half kick underway, Columbus wasted no time putting the pressure on Toluca. 

Three minutes in, Arfsten used slick footwork in the box to dance around defenders and score, extending the lead 2-0. 

The frustration for Toluca was showing in their play. The club received three penalties in three minutes, as well as two yellow cards for poor sportsmanship.

But when all seemed to be working in Columbus’s favor, Toluca capitalized. 

A mishandled save by Schulte resulted in the ball bouncing directly to the foot of Toluca forward Paulinho, allowing him to score and cut the lead to 2-1 in the 71st minute. 

And Paulinho was not done.  

Nine minutes later, he leaped through the air to head a ball past Schulte, tying the game at 2-2. 

As if the two-goal comeback was not enough, more drama ensued. 

Six minutes after the tying score, Toluca defender Federico Pereira committed a penalty in the box, granting Columbus another penalty kick chance. 

Rossi stepped up again, but this time was shut down with a diving save from Toluca goalkeeper  Luis García, keeping the game level at two. 

Nine minutes of stoppage time were played to completion with neither side pulling ahead, leaving only one way to determine the winner under Leagues Cup rules—a penalty shootout. 

Forward Alexis Vega took the first shot for Toluca and blasted it in. Rossi was the first to respond for Columbus, but was stopped. 

The second round of shots followed the same pattern, with Toluca scoring and the Crew being denied.

Behind by two, Schulte made a diving save on Toluca’s third attempt, and Crew midfielder Taha Habroune scored to keep hope alive. 

The next round saw both clubs convert, setting the stage for Toluca to take the win with their next shot. 

Forward Hélio Castro stepped up as the hero for Toluca, sending the ball past Schulte to win the penalty shootout (4-2). 

Arfsten—who did not attempt a penalty kick—explained the emotions and feelings of having to watch a penalty shootout. 

“It’s always tough when you’re watching and you know you can’t affect it at all,” Arfsten said. “It’s definitely an emotional roller coaster, like every time they go, you want to save and every time we go, you want to score, so it’s tough.” 

The game was a rare occurrence of Columbus not controlling a majority of ball possession, with only 44.2% of the ball, and they were outshot in their attempts. 

Columbus (0-0-1) will continue its Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One matches this Friday against Club Puebla (1-0-0) at Lower.com Field at 7:00 p.m.