The Los Angeles Galaxy became the fourth and final team to book a place in the Leagues Cup semifinals on Wednesday after defeating Pachuca 2-1, however the victory came with controversy. A bizarre LA Galaxy Pachuca yellow card moment caught the attention of fans.
Shortly before halftime it appeared that Galaxy midfielder Edwin Cerrillo was going to be sent off. The 24-year-old was already on a yellow and caught a Pachuca player in the face with his arm.
Jamaican referee Oshane Nation pulled out a yellow card to book Cerrillo (which would've resulted in a red card), but then realized that the Galaxy man had already been booked in the 28th minute. The referee then shockingly put the card away to the dismay of the Pachuca players.
LA Galaxy Pachuca yellow card controversy
Jajaja es más claro que el agua que iba a sacar la tarjeta amarilla para Cerrillo y cuando ve que sería la segunda y se iría expulsado la vuelve a guardar chale @LeaguesCup @MikelArriolaP que vergüenza.
Todos reaccionamos como Jhonder Cádiz. pic.twitter.com/HmHmCbthcG— Natalia Briz (@NataliaBrizC) August 21, 2025
Would that have been a harsh second yellow card and sending off? Yes. At the same time, however, when the card is pulled out you kind of have to go through with it. Many Pachuca supporters felt robbed by the incident and expressed their displeasure online.
Pachuca were Liga MX’s last hope of sending a team to the semifinal but ultimately fell short. This means that for a second year in-a-row there will only be MLS teams in the Leagues Cup semifinals.
Galaxy star Marco Reus scored LA’s second goal which proved to be the winner after Pachuca scored late in the game.
Marco Reus strikes
What a counter from the @LAGalaxy to take a 2-0 lead over Pachuca in the @LeaguesCup Quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/jFNgLGEPEw— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 21, 2025
Despite being the reigning MLS champions, the LA Galaxy have had a miserable season with just three wins through 26 league games. Reus and company are statistically the worst team in MLS.
The win against Pachuca will give the Galaxy a flicker of hope to win something this season as they will host the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
