Tigres left frustrated as LA Galaxy goalie ruins their Concacaf Champions Cup plan | OneFootball

The 0-0 tie between Tigres UANL and LA Galaxy in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals might have been dull on paper, but the story on the field was anything but. The score at Dignity Health Sports Park left a sweet-bitter taste for both teams, but especially for the home team, who were only able to survive due to the heroics of one unlikely hero: John McCarthy.

McCarthy bailing the day and keeping it down

When Galaxy walked away still standing and with a legitimate opportunity to move on, the credit, or blame, is all on their goalie. McCarthy shut the door, built a wall, and even got time to flex some muscle in the face of an attack that doesn't normally miss. Number 77 closed out the game with four crucial saves, all of them in opportune moments, and recorded his first clean sheet of the campaign. Not bad for a squad that staggered onto the pitch with a rough MLS record: four losses and two ties in six games. The defense, by the way, had to scramble on the fly.

Yoshida was injured in the first half with what looked like a hamstring injury. When a player of that stature leaves, the whole castle is apt to crumble. Not this time, however. Galaxy didn't just hold on, they found their shield in McCarthy against the Mexican onslaught.

LA Galaxy v Tigres - CONCACAF Champions Cup 2025 | Shaun Clark/GettyImages

Tigres pounds away, but can't get through

Robert Dante Siboldi’s squad controlled the game, racking up 17 shots to just 7 from the opposition, but they ran headfirst into a California wall.

And it wasn’t for lack of trying. Juan Brunetta attempted at 10 minutes, Joaquim Henrique released one on target at 17, Nicolás Ibáñez took a shot at 41, and Ozziel Herrera attempted at 84. They all came face to face with a brick wall named McCarthy, as if there was some kind of jinx that kept the ball from kissing the net. That knockout punch was missing. That final pass that slices through a defense like a hot knife through butter never came. Tigres had the numbers, but not the teeth. In a game such as this, numbers can mislead you. What it all comes down to is scoring the goals in the back of the net, and the Mexicans were unable to do that.

If McCarthy was the hero of the night for Galaxy, Tigres had one of their own in Nahuel Guzmán. He produced two massive saves, particularly during the second half, when Isaiah Parente and Matheus Nascimento sent in shots that tested the Argentine icon. Guzmán never blinked, never cracked, never allowed the advantage to slip. And even if the game remained goalless, it left everything open for the return leg.

All or nothing in Mexico

It now comes down to the second leg at Estadio Universitario in Mexico on April 8. Tigres will be at home, in front of a crowd which can roar them into action, and they'll be under duty to deliver on the favorite tag. Galaxy will in the meanwhile require another good show to keep their semifinal hopes alive.