LA Galaxy Crush Santos Laguna 4-0, Power into Leagues Cup Quarterfinals

Paintsil looking for space to pass Santos Midfielder Jordán Carrillo. Photo by Gilbert Bita

Carson, CA — The LA Galaxy lit up Dignity Health Sports Park on Thursday night, overpowering LIGA MX’s Santos Laguna in a 4-0 rout to close out Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One. With 12,883 fans roaring them on, the Galaxy’s dominance from whistle to whistle booked their place in the quarterfinals and sent a clear message: they’re here for silverware.

Gabriel Pec with a power shot! Photo by Gilbert Bita

Fast Start, Relentless Pressure

It took just one minute for LA to strike. Gabriel Pec sparked a break down the right, linking with Mauricio Cuevas, whose low cross was buried at the near post by Joseph Paintsil. The goal lit up the home crowd and set the tone for a night of total control.

By the 39th minute, it was 2-0. Cuevas again found space to deliver a darting ball across goal, where Matheus Nascimento flicked it home for his first of the evening.

Nascimento celebrating his goal with Paintsil! Photo by Gilbert Bita

Momentum Shift Before the Break

Santos’ night unraveled before halftime. Anthony “Choco” Lozano saw red for a second booking, and moments later, a spilled save from goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo handed Maya Yoshida a simple tap-in for 3-0.

The visitors’ misery deepened at the break when Ramiro Sordo was shown a straight red, leaving Santos with just nine players for the second half.

Sealing the Deal

Nascimento capped the scoreline in the 74th minute, deflecting in Lucas Sanabria’s shot for his second of the game — and Sanabria’s first career LA assist.

Goalkeeper Novak Mićović secured his third shutout of the year, while veterans like Yoshida and newcomers like Marco Reus kept the team’s tempo and shape airtight.

Numbers Tell the Story

• Record: 2-0-1 in Phase One, +7 goal differential (second-best in the tournament).

• Attack Leaders: Paintsil & Nascimento — 4 goal contributions each (3G, 1A).

• Cuevas: 2 assists on the night, 3 in his last 2 matches.

Head Coach Greg Vanney praised the group’s mentality:

“It’s showing we have a good team and we’re tough to play against… the results emotionally are great for the group.”

LA Galaxy and Santos Laguna players after the last whistle. Photo by Gilbert Bita

What’s Next

The Galaxy now face C.F. Pachuca in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, August 20th while returning to MLS action Sunday, August 10, against the Seattle Sounders.

For Santos Laguna, it’s the end of a nightmare run — three straight losses, no points, and two red cards on their final night.

With the Leagues Cup run in full swing, LA’s fans are starting to believe a deep run — and a potential Concacaf Champions League spot — could be on the horizon.