NYCFC's Win Over Santos Laguna Says More About Santos Than MLS
New York City FC beat Santos Laguna 2-0 to open their 2026 Leagues Cup campaign, and it's tempting to read the result as another data point for MLS closing the gap on Liga MX. The more honest read is that Santos Laguna handed them the game.
Tayvon Gray put NYCFC ahead in the second half, and Nico Cavallo doubled the lead in the 66th minute, converting a through ball from Andres Perea after Luighi had worked the ball wide, according to NYCFC's own post-match notes and amNewYork's coverage of the match at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Both goals came from defenders, which tells its own story. This wasn't NYCFC's attack picking Santos apart. It was Santos failing to deal with set pieces and transitions from players who aren't supposed to be the ones scoring.
Matt Freese did the rest, and head coach Pascal Jansen singled him out afterward, saying Freese has been showing his quality and personality as the team's captain in Thiago Martins' absence, per LeaguesCup.com's match recap. Freese had to be sharp. Santos came out with intensity, and Diego González twice tested him in a goalless first half.
But that's where the good night for Santos ended. This was their fourth straight defeat, a run that includes multiple losses on the road, and a side that started with a high press had nothing left to show for it once NYCFC settled into the game. Declaring MLS the superior league off the back of one result against a team in freefall would be getting ahead of the evidence.
The more useful question is the one Santos need to answer themselves. A club with their history shouldn't be conceding this kind of momentum four games running, and until they find a way to stop the bleeding, results like this one will keep getting read as proof of an MLS rise rather than what they actually are: a Liga MX side losing its grip.
