The New England Revolution rallied from a two-goal deficit to stun Atlas FC in a penalty shootout after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium.
Mateo Garcia got Los Zorros off to the perfect start, curling home from outside the penalty area eight minutes into the match and the lead was doubled through Jordy Caicedo three minutes later.
It looked as though the Liga MX giants would cruise through this Round of 32 tie in the 2023 Leagues Cup but Gustavo Bou converted a Carles Gil cross to halve the deficit.
Bou then equalized in the 79th minute, beating Camilo Vargas on a rebound of a loose ball after the Atlas goalkeeper had denied him from the penalty spot.
The Revolution converted all eight of their penalty kicks with Andrew Farrell scoring the eventual match-winner to send New England into the Round of 16.
Story of the match
Atlas threatened after two minutes were played. Caicedo earned a free kick and from the resulting set-piece, saw his header saved by Earl Edwards Jr. A shot was then cleared off the line by Farrell.
Some impressive build-up play by the Mexican side put New England under pressure and Matt Polster appeared to break up the play but got caught out of position and Garcia was left open to beat Edwards Jr. from 20 yards out.
Caicedo doubled Los Zorros' advantage as Caicedo started the passage of play, using his speed to fly by Farrell, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Dave Romney and he headed home a rebound of his own initial shot on a breakaway.
The hosts picked up the pace, their ball movement sharper, switching to one-touch passing and this change in strategy paid off on the half-hour mark.
Gil and Brandon Bye played a give-and-go, Gil’s shot deflected by Vargas where Bou was waiting at the back post to finish.
Three minutes later, New England could have been awarded a penalty as Gil appeared to be tripped from behind by Jorge Guzman but referee Fernando Guerrero waved play on and booked Gil for dissent.
Guerrero was a busy man in the early stages of the second half, issuing yellow cards to Anderson Santamaria, Kaye and Jaziel Martinez.
Bye fell to the turf following a foul on Martinez in the opening seconds and was replaced by Ryan Spaulding after suffering a lower-leg injury with DeJuan Jones moving to right-back.
Atlas midfielder Eduardo Aguirre was stretchered off in the 54th minute, Brian Lozano taking his place and Gil injured his right knee after a challenge by Santamaria.
Gil still managed to weave past two defenders and with Giacomo Vrioni drawing the defense to him, passed to Bou, who had the simplest of finishes.
After Gil was replaced by brother Nacho in the 73rd minute, Santamaria brought Vrioni down, Guerrero immediately pointed to the spot and two minutes later, Bou scored off the rebound of his own penalty kick.
Late on, Bou had a chance to complete his hat trick, but Jones' low cross to the center of the box was blocked by Jose Abella.
In the shootout, both teams scored on their first seven attempts with Abella hitting the crossbar and Farrell then sealed the win for the Revolution.
Man of the match: Gustavo Bou
Singlehandedly hauled New England back into the match, showcasing his movement and ability to get into open spaces and when he received good service, made no mistake in finishing both times.