2023 CONCACAF Champions League final
The 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final was the final round of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, the 15th and final edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup under the Champions League 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.
| Event | 2023 CONCACAF Champions League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| First leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | May 31, 2023 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio León, León, Guanajuato, Mexico | ||||||
| Referee | Walter López (Guatemala) | ||||||
| Attendance | 20,517 | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy, 88 °F (31 °C) | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | June 4, 2023 | ||||||
| Venue | BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Referee | Iván Barton (El Salvador) | ||||||
| Attendance | 22,413 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C) | ||||||
The final was contested in a two-legged home-and-away series by Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer and Club León of Liga MX. León hosted the first leg at Estadio León in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, on May 31 and won 2–1. Los Angeles FC hosted the second leg at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States, on June 4 and lost 1–0. The final was pushed back to allow for the Clasura 2023 finals to take place in Mexico. León won 3–1 on aggregate.
Venues
edit Los Angeles
|
 León
|
|---|---|
| BMO Stadium | Estadio León |
| Capacity: 22,000 | Capacity: 31,297 |
|
|
Road to the final
editBoth teams in the final had 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
editClub 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] They had some league success in the 2010s and qualified for multiple editions of the CONCACAF Champions League, but were eliminated in three consecutive years by MLS teams. Their best finish during this stretch came in the 2022 edition, where they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Seattle Sounders FC.[4] León qualified for the 2023 edition—their fifth in the continental tournament—as the runners-up in the 2021 Apertura playoffs in Liga MX.[5]
The team were drawn against Panamanian side Tauro in the round of 16 and won 1–0 in the first leg, which was played in Panama City. Iván Moreno scored the lone goal of the match in the 55th minute from close range after receiving a deflected ball from a Tauro defender.[6] León won 2–0 in the second leg to advance 3–0 on aggregate to the quarterfinals; Brian Rubio and Elías Hernández both scored in the first half.[7]
In the quarterfinals, León played Haitian side Violette AC, who had earned an upset victory against Austin FC of MLS in the previous round. In the first leg at Estadio León, the hosts won 5–0 with a brace from Víctor Dávila in the second half and two goals in stoppage time.[8] The team lost 2–1 in the second leg, conceding twice to Violette's Miche-Naider Chéry, but advanced 6–2 on aggregate to their first semifinals.[9]
León met fellow Liga MX side Tigres in the semifinals and played away in the first leg. Dávila opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but a pair of goals created by Tigres winger Luis Quiñones near halftime gave the hosts a 2–1 win.[10] During the first 15 minutes of the second leg, Fidel Ambríz and Ángel Mena scored for León to take the lead on aggregate. Raymundo Fulgencio equalized for Tigres, but a 79th-minute strike by Adonis Frías from a corner kick clinched a 3–1 win and 4–3 aggregate victory for León.[11]
Los Angeles FC
editLos 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.[12][13]
As MLS Cup 2022 champions and Supporters' Shield holders, LAFC qualified for their second Champions League.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] LAFC lost 2–1 in the second leg at home but advanced with a 4–2 aggregate score.[17]
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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20] A league fixture for LAFC was rescheduled to accommodate the semifinal series as well as potential advancement to the final.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23][24]
Summary of results
edit- Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: Home; A: Away).
| Los Angeles FC
|
Round | León
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
 Alajuelense
|
4–2 | 3–0 (A) | 1–2 (H) | Round of 16 |  Tauro
|
3–0 | 1–0 (A) | 2–0 (H) |
 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
|
6–0 | 3–0 (A) | 3–0 (H) | Quarterfinals |  Violette
|
6–2 | 5–0 (H) | 1–2 (A) |
| Philadelphia Union
|
4–1 | 1–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) | Semifinals | UANL
|
4–3 | 1–2 (A) | 3–1 (H) |
Format
editThe 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. Additional substitutions are permitted for players showing signs of a concussion or a traumatic head injury after up to three minutes of evaluation by a medical officer. If the score is still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 12.8).[25]
Performance ranking
editIn the final, the finalist which has the better performances in previous rounds host the second leg.
Matches
editFirst leg
editDetails
edit| León | 2–1 | Los Angeles FC |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Bouanga  90+6' |
|
Assistant referees:
|
Second leg
editDetails
edit| Los Angeles FC | 0–1 | León |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Boehm, Charles (May 4, 2023). "LAFC aims to break new ground on Champions League run". US Soccer Players. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ "LAFC, Leon's historical feats highlight best of SF 2nd legs". CONCACAF.com. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ "Leon stun Tigres to set up LAFC showdown in CONCACAF Champions League final". ESPN. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Arnold, Jon (May 30, 2023). "Who are Club León? LAFC's CCL opponent aren't a grande but have big support". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ "MLS, Liga MX seasons capped by thrilling penalty shootouts". CONCACAF.com. December 13, 2021. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Moreno's strike holds up for Club Leon at Tauro". CONCACAF.com. March 9, 2023. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Diaz, Victor (March 16, 2023). "Concachampions: León gana sin complicaciones al Tauro y se mete a cuartos de final" [Champions League: León beats Tauros without complications and enters the quarterfinals]. Récord (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Davila double helps move Club Leon closer to first semifinal". CONCACAF.com. April 5, 2023. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Club Leon punch semifinal ticket despite loss at Violette". CONCACAF.com. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Martínez, Edgar (April 26, 2023). "Tigres take first-leg advantage over Club León in Concacaf Champions League semi-final". AS. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ "El argentino Adonis Frías pone al León en la final de la Liga de Concacaf" [Argentine Adonis Frías puts León in the final of the Concacaf League]. Yahoo Deportes (in Spanish). EFE. May 3, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ Thorrington, John (May 2, 2023). "LAFC aiming for CONCACAF Champions League title after heartbreaking 2020 run". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Straus, Brian (December 21, 2020). "LAFC Braces for CCL Final After Being Concacafed and Living to Tell About It". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Gross, Josh (March 8, 2023). "LAFC ready for the 'honor' of CONCACAF Champions League". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (January 31, 2023). "LAFC is sending key forward Cristian Arango to Liga MX's Pachuca". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Dénis Bouanga nets hat-trick, LAFC dominate Alajuelense in CCL opener". MLSsoccer.com. March 9, 2023. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (March 15, 2023). "LAFC loses to Alajuelense but advances in CONCACAF Champions League". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Uribarri, Jaime (May 1, 2023). "Winner gets Liga MX: LAFC, Philadelphia Union enter decisive CCL semifinal". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Gross, Josh (May 1, 2023). "LAFC has no margin for error in CONCACAF Champions League semifinal with Philadelphia". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (May 2, 2023). "LAFC makes history by advancing to CONCACAF Champions League final". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "LAFC Announces Date Change For Home Match Against St. Louis CITY SC" (Press release). Los Angeles FC. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ "LAFC Announces Date Change For Home Match Against Atlanta United" (Press release). Los Angeles FC. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ "SCCL Regulations 2023" (PDF). CONCACAF. pp. 24–25. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.