MONTERREY, México — The reigning MLS Cup champion Galaxy are still trying to find their footing in 2025, but the CONCACAF Champions Cup is no longer part of their itinerary.
Nicolas Ibañez and Uriel Antuna scored less than two minutes apart early in the first half and the UANL Tigres defeated the Galaxy, 3-2, on Tuesday night to become the first team to qualify for the tournament semifinals.
Ibañez scored the first goal of the second-leg match in the ninth minute and Antuna followed with another in the 10th minute for the Liga MX squad. Romulo Zwarg added a goal in the 57th minute to secure the win.
The first leg of the series ended in a scoreless draw a week ago in Carson.
Joseph Paintsil scored in the 40th minute and Carlos Garces in the 60th for the Galaxy which was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in their past five appearances. The Galaxy have not qualified for the semifinals since the 2012-13 tournament.
Tigres will face the winner of the series between Mexican clubs America and Cruz Azul, which has not been determined. In the other quarterfinal series, LAFC plays against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami while Pumas face the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Tigres, which won the CONCACAF Champions Cup title in 2020, secured its seventh win in 14 matches in the tournament. All of those wins have come in Monterrey.
The Mexicans are winless on the road since the 2023 quarterfinals, when they defeated Motagua in Honduras.
More to come on this story.
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