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2023 CONCACAF Champions League final

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2023 CONCACAF Champions League Final
Event2023 CONCACAF Champions League
León Los Angeles FC
Mexico United States
First leg
León Los Angeles FC
2 1
DateMay 31, 2023 (2023-05-31)
VenueEstadio León, León, Guanajuato, Mexico
RefereeWalter López (Guatemala)
WeatherPartly Cloudy, 88 °F (31 °C)
Second leg
Los Angeles FC León
DateJune 4, 2023 (2023-06-04)
VenueBMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 CONCACAF Champions League Final is the final round of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 58th edition of the premier club soccer competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The final will be contested in a two-legged home-and-away series by Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer and Club León of Liga MX. León will host the first leg at Estadio León in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, on May 31. Los Angeles FC will host the second leg at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States, on June 4. The final was pushed back to allow for the Clasura 2023 finals to take place in Mexico.

Venues

United States Los Angeles Mexico León
BMO Stadium Estadio León
Capacity: 22,000 Capacity: 31,297
File:Estadioleón.jpg

Road to the final

Further information: 2023 CONCACAF Champions League

Both teams in the final have yet to win a CONCACAF Champions League, but previously reached the finals in previous editions. León and Los Angeles FC last played each other in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League's round of 16, which LAFC won 3–2 on aggregate.[1][2]

León

Club León previously qualified for the final round of the 1993 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, but lost in the round-robin group to Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa on goal difference.[3]

Los Angeles FC

See also: 2023 Los Angeles FC season

Los Angeles FC (LAFC) entered MLS as an expansion team in 2018. The club qualified for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the 2019 MLS Supporters' Shield and advanced to the final, which had been delayed to December due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was played in Orlando, Florida. LAFC lost 2–1 to Tigres UANL, becoming the fourth MLS team and second from the United States to finish as runners-up under the modern Champions League format.[4][5]

As MLS Cup 2022 champions and Supporters' Shield holders, LAFC qualified for their second Champions League.[6] They lost several key players in the offseason, including midfielder Latif Blessing and forwards Cristian Arango and Cristian Tello, and signed several replacements but still lacked a new center forward option.[7] The club were drawn against Costa Rican side Alajuelense, the 2022 CONCACAF League runners-up, in the round of 16 and won the away leg 3–0 with a hat-trick scored by Denis Bouanga.[8] LAFC lost 2–1 in the second leg at home but advanced with a 4–2 aggregate score.[9]

In the quarterfinals, LAFC faced fellow MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC from Canada and won 6–0 on aggregate, scoring thrice in each leg. The away leg in Vancouver was decided by a trio of goals within ten minutes during the second half—Bouanga's brace and assist to Kwadwo Opoku.[10] Captain Carlos Vela scored twice in the second leg—from a penalty kick and close range in the first half—and was joined after half-time by José Cifuentes, who entered as a substitute and struck both posts with his goal.[11]

The semifinal was a rematch of the MLS Cup final played five months earlier between LAFC and the Philadelphia Union, who had also finished as runners-up in the Supporters' Shield race.[12] A league fixture for LAFC was rescheduled to accommodate the semifinal series as well as potential advancement to the final.[13] LAFC drew 1–1 in the first leg and won 3–0 in the second leg to advance from the semifinals. They became the first MLS team to advance to a second Champions League final under the current format.[14] LAFC's league matches against St. Louis City SC and Atlanta United FC were rescheduled due to conflicts with the two legs of the final as well as the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.[15][16]

Summary of results

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: Home; A: Away).
United States Los Angeles FC Round Mexico León
Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg   Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
Costa Rica Alajuelense 4–2 3–0 (A) 1–2 (H) Round of 16 Panama Tauro 3–0 1–0 (A) 2–0 (H)
Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC 6–0 3–0 (A) 3–0 (H) Quarterfinals Haiti Violette 6–2 5–0 (H) 1–2 (A)
United States Philadelphia Union 4–1 1–1 (A) 3–0 (H) Semifinals Mexico UANL 4–3 1–2 (A) 3–1 (H)

Format

The final will be played in a home-and-away two-legged series, with the team with the better performance in previous rounds hosting the second leg. Unlike in earlier rounds, away goals will not be a tiebreaker in the second leg. Instead, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into 15-minute periods) is played if the match is tied after regulation time; a sixth substitute is also permitted during extra time. If the score is still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 12.8).[17]

Performance ranking

In the final, the finalist which has the better performances in previous rounds host the second leg.


First leg

Details

León Mexico2–1United States Los Angeles FC
 Report Bouanga 90+6'

Second leg

Details

Los Angeles FC United StatesvMexico León
Report
BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

References

  1. ^ Boehm, Charles (May 4, 2023). "LAFC aims to break new ground on Champions League run". US Soccer Players. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "LAFC, Leon's historical feats highlight best of SF 2nd legs". CONCACAF.com. May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Leon stun Tigres to set up LAFC showdown in CONCACAF Champions League final". ESPN. May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Thorrington, John (May 2, 2023). "LAFC aiming for CONCACAF Champions League title after heartbreaking 2020 run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Straus, Brian (December 21, 2020). "LAFC Braces for CCL Final After Being Concacafed and Living to Tell About It". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Gross, Josh (March 8, 2023). "LAFC ready for the 'honor' of CONCACAF Champions League". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Baxter, Kevin (January 31, 2023). "LAFC is sending key forward Cristian Arango to Liga MX's Pachuca". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  8. ^ "Dénis Bouanga nets hat-trick, LAFC dominate Alajuelense in CCL opener". MLSsoccer.com. March 9, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Baxter, Kevin (March 15, 2023). "LAFC loses to Alajuelense but advances in CONCACAF Champions League". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Adams, J.J. (April 5, 2023). "LAFC 3, Whitecaps 0: Bouanga bounces Vancouver out of B.C. Place in first-leg victory". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Adams, J.J. (April 11, 2023). "LAFC 3, Whitecaps 0: Black and Gold leave Caps black and blue, eliminate them from CONCACAF Champions League". The Province. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Uribarri, Jaime (May 1, 2023). "Winner gets Liga MX: LAFC, Philadelphia Union enter decisive CCL semifinal". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Gross, Josh (May 1, 2023). "LAFC has no margin for error in CONCACAF Champions League semifinal with Philadelphia". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  14. ^ Baxter, Kevin (May 2, 2023). "LAFC makes history by advancing to CONCACAF Champions League final". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "LAFC Announces Date Change For Home Match Against St. Louis CITY SC" (Press release). Los Angeles FC. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "LAFC Announces Date Change For Home Match Against Atlanta United" (Press release). Los Angeles FC. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  17. ^ "SCCL Regulations 2023" (PDF). CONCACAF. pp. 24–25. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
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