Club Deportivo Guadalajara vs. Charlotte FC

Chivas de Guadalajara once again leaned on their heritage and composure to see off a spirited Charlotte FC side, emerging with a 2–2 draw in regulation before clinching a 4–2 victory on penalties. It was a night that underscored both their resilience and the thin margins that define Leagues Cup passage.


From the opening whistle, Charlotte took the initiative—notably when Liel Abada darted into the box and found the net in the 11th minute via a deflection off Gilberto Sepúlveda. That early breakthrough seemed to unsettle Chivas, but by the 24th minute, Richard Ledezma had restored parity with a thumping long-range effort—his first goal for the club, and the spark of a renewed belief.
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Bryan González then gave Chivas the lead in the 66th with an impressive header from a precision cross by Alan Mozo. The Mexican side appeared poised to cruise—but credit must go to Charlotte, who wouldn’t go quietly. In the first of stoppage time, Kerwin Vargas unleashed a free-kick rocket from near the edge of the area that rattled past the wall and keeper, sending the match into penalties.


In the shootout, Chivas held their nerve. Raul Rangel’s decisive save on Tyger Smalls shifted the momentum, and when Armando González tucked away the winner, it sealed a crucial win for Guadalajara in a tournament where points come at a premium.


For Chivas, the result delivered more than two points—it reaffirmed their ability to absorb pressure, strike with precision, and win when it counts most. But the narrow escape also hints at undercurrents of concern: reliance on individual moments and shootout fortunes can only carry you so far.

Charlotte, by contrast, gave everything they had. In front of a fervent away contingent at Bank of America Stadium, they showed attacking ambition and kept their composure—a tough pill to swallow, especially with star man Pep Biel ruled out after leaving injured early. Their belief and execution were commendable, but ultimately, the lack of knockout-firepower and the cruel randomness of penalties ended their Leagues Cup run.
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Now, Chivas stay alive, waiting on other results to determine their fate, while Charlotte must turn back to MLS—and reflect on what might have been, had breaks gone their way.

In high-stakes knockout formats like this, Chivas’s 2–2 (4–2) shootout win once more proved that grit, experience, and composure in crunch moments often outweigh sheer force and home advantage.