A LA Galaxy team of starters, role players and Los Dos regulars battled hard but ultimately fell to a full strength Cruz Azul team 2-1 Tuesday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.

It didn’t take long for La Maquina Cementera to pull ahead: In just the 4th minute Jose Maduena accepted a pass outside the 18 and gently guided a beautiful left-footed finish past Matt Lampson and into the net, though it must be said the Galaxy goalkeeper was out of position.

Pedro Caixinha’s team dominated the opening period, but an opportunistic strike from Emil Cuello outside the area gave LA hope heading into the break.

Any hope was quickly evaporated as Oberlin Pineda curled a golazo around a helpless Lampson in the 47th minute, and Cruz Azul gained a comfortable lead they would not relinquish.

Cruz Azul will play Tigres for the final this September in Las Vegas while LA are back to league action.