Football matches usually end at 90. Sometimes they don't.
When the referee Lukasz Szpala pointed to a spot just outside the box deep into stoppage time at Sports Illustrated Stadium, the air in Harrison, New Jersey, felt different. It was July 31, 2025. Chivas, the Mexican giants known for their "all-Mexican" roster policy and massive traveling fan base, had absolutely dominated the ball. They had 62% possession. They looked like the better team for the vast majority of the night.
Then Emil Forsberg stepped up.
The Guadalajara vs New York RB matchup wasn't just another Leagues Cup game; it was a clash of philosophies. On one side, you have the "Rebaño Sagrado," 12-time Liga MX champions. On the other, the high-pressing, Red Bull machine that values efficiency over flair.
Forsberg, the Swedish international who has basically become the heartbeat of the Red Bulls, didn't even start the game. Sandro Schwarz had rotated his squad heavily, likely keeping an eye on the grueling schedule of Phase One. But with the score locked at 0-0 and the clock ticking past the 96th minute, the Designated Player proved exactly why he gets the big paycheck. He hit a low, curling free kick that skipped past the Chivas wall—which honestly looked a bit flat-footed in that moment—and settled into the bottom right corner.
1-0. Game over.
The Tactical Chess Match Most People Missed
It's easy to look at the 1-0 scoreline and assume it was a boring defensive slog. It wasn't. Honestly, Chivas played some beautiful football. Gabriel Milito, who had just recently taken over the reins at Guadalajara, had them playing with a rhythm that frustrated the Red Bulls' press.
Raúl Rangel, the Chivas keeper, wasn't tested constantly, but the pressure was there. Guadalajara’s 3-4-2-1 formation allowed them to overload the wings. Roberto "Piojo" Alvarado and Alan Pulido were constantly buzzing, finding pockets of space that the Red Bulls’ backline, led by Sean Nealis, struggled to close.
- Possession: Chivas (62%) vs. RBNY (38%)
- Total Passes: Chivas (596) vs. RBNY (332)
- Passing Accuracy: Chivas (85.9%) vs. RBNY (74.5%)
Looking at those numbers, you’d think Guadalajara won comfortably. But the Red Bulls are comfortable being uncomfortable. They didn't care about the ball. They cared about the 1.1 Expected Goals (xG) they generated compared to Chivas' 0.5. They were clinical in their limited moments.
Why the Red Bulls’ Bench Changed Everything
Sandro Schwarz played a risky game. He started Julian Hall and Mohammed Sofo, youngsters who showed flashes of brilliance but lacked that final killer instinct. By the time the 73rd minute rolled around and Forsberg came on for Hall, the dynamic shifted.
Experience matters. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, another big name in the RBNY lineup, came on in the 59th minute. He was the one who eventually drew the foul from Daniel Aguirre that led to the winning goal. Aguirre, who used to play for the LA Galaxy, probably knew exactly what kind of trouble he was in the moment he mistimed that challenge.
It’s a tough pill for Chivas fans to swallow. They outplayed the Red Bulls in the middle of the park, but soccer is a game of moments, not percentages.
The History and the Hype
To understand why this specific Guadalajara vs New York RB meeting felt so intense, you have to look back at 2018. That was the year Chivas knocked the Red Bulls out of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. It was a bitter 1-0 aggregate loss for the New York side.
For the Red Bull faithful, this 2025 win was a seven-year-old receipt finally getting paid.
The crowd of nearly 15,000 was split. If you closed your eyes, you might have thought you were in Guadalajara. The "Chiva-hermanos" showed up in force, turning a stadium in New Jersey into a sea of red and white stripes. That’s the magic of the Leagues Cup—it creates these bizarre, high-stakes atmospheres in the middle of the summer that you just don't get in regular season play.
AJ Marcucci: The Unsung Hero
While Forsberg got the headlines, AJ Marcucci earned his keep. This was his first career shutout for New York across all competitions. He made four saves, some of which were genuinely high-level. There was a header from Cade Cowell in the second half that looked destined for the net until Marcucci’s fingertips got in the way.
Without Marcucci holding the fort during Chivas’ periods of dominance, Forsberg’s free kick wouldn't have mattered. It would have been a consolation goal instead of a winner.
What This Means for 2026 and Beyond
As we move through the 2026 season, these cross-league rivalries are becoming the backbone of North American soccer. Chivas is currently gearing up for their Clausura 2026 campaign in Liga MX, while the Red Bulls have a packed 2026 MLS schedule that kicks off in February against Orlando City.
There’s a lot of talk about whether the Leagues Cup format is "fair" to Liga MX teams who have to travel constantly. Chivas certainly felt the fatigue in the final ten minutes of that match. But from a purely competitive standpoint, it’s hard to argue with the drama.
If you're a fan of either team, here’s how you should be looking at this matchup going forward:
- Don't trust the possession stats. As the Red Bulls proved, you can win with less than 40% of the ball if your defensive structure holds.
- Watch the bench. In tournament play, the tactical substitutions in the 60th to 70th minute are almost always where the game is won or lost.
- The "MLS vs Liga MX" gap is gone. It’s no longer about which league is better; it’s about which team can execute their specific style under pressure.
Guadalajara vs New York RB is now a legitimate continental rivalry. It has history, it has contrasting styles, and as we saw with Forsberg’s 97th-minute heroics, it has the kind of drama that keeps people coming back.
Keep an eye on the summer transfer windows. Both teams are looking to bolster their squads for the next international window. Chivas is rumored to be looking at more domestic talent to deepen their rotation, while RBNY is always one "Red Bull Global" signing away from changing their starting XI.
The next time these two meet, don't leave your seat until the final whistle. Or even a few minutes after it.