The CONCACAF Champions League final kicks off on Wednesday with two clubs who have yet to clutch this trophy as Club Leon host Los Angeles FC in the opening leg at Estadio Leon.
Los Esmeraldas earned a spot in the final with a 3-1 win in the second leg of their semi-final, eliminating Tigres 4-3 on aggregate, while the reigning MLS Cup champions took out the Philadelphia Union by a combined score of 4-1 to get to this stage.
Match preview
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Leon came into this tournament as the lowest-ranked side in Liga MX, and that underdog mentality seems to have served them well as they find themselves just two matches away from CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) glory.
Throughout the competition, Nicolas Larcamon's men have come out flying from the outset, scoring first in all six of their encounters, with three of their four goals versus Tigres coming within the opening 15 minutes.
Their form in front of goal has been hot and cold of late, particularly at home, scoring three times versus Tigres domestically and in CCL respectively, but managing just one the last time out when San Luis beat them 3-1 in Liga MX.
The eight-time Liga MX winners have begun to make a name for themselves on the continental stage in recent years, capturing the 2021 Leagues Cup, their first on the international scene.
Although they have not faced a lot of Major League Soccer clubs, Leon have had plenty of success against them in international competitions, defeating Sporting Kansas City (6-1) and the Seattle Sounders (3-2) en route to the Leagues Cup two years ago, while they have never lost a home fixture against American opponents, blanking Los Angeles FC 2-0 in the opening leg of their 2020 round of 16 CCL clash.
When this tournament was known as the Champions Cup, Los Panzas Verdes nearly got their hands on the trophy, finishing the tournament's final stage in a three-way tie for first, with Costa Rican side Saprissa narrowly beating them out on goal difference to claim the title.
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Months after claiming their first MLS Cup, LAFC have shown no signs of slowing down, suffering just one regular season defeat in 2023 and now reaching the final of this competition for the second time in four seasons.
In their run to the 2020 CCL final, the Black and Gold were at their best when trailing, coming back to win their round of 16 tie, and both of their single elimination games in the quarter-final and semi-finals.
This year though the opposite has been the case as they have built big leads more often than not, scoring seven goals in their three opening leg fixtures, including three away from home versus Costa Rican side Alajuelense and another three against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Meanwhile LA have only conceded one away goal in this season's competition, drawing with the Philadelphia Union 1-1 in Chester with a late equaliser, before taking control of the tie in front of their fans with a convincing second-leg victory, 3-0 at BMO Stadium.
LAFC have never beaten a Liga MX side on Mexican soil and have never triumphed against a team from that region as the visitors, losing to Leon as mentioned in 2020 and squandering a 1-0 lead in the CCL final that season versus Tigres when they were the away team at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
While the Seattle Sounders became the first MLS club to win this competition under its current name last year, the Black and Gold have an opportunity to be the first US-based side to follow up a domestic title with the CCL crown, as they are the first reigning MLS Cup champions to make the final of this competition since Toronto FC lost the 2018 final on penalties versus Guadalajara.
The depth of this LAFC squad has enabled Steve Cherundolo to rotate his team in between various competitions without losing much, as six players have at least one goal in CCL, while six have at least one goal contribution.
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Team News
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Leon could be missing David Ramirez for this opening match due to injury, while Jose Rodriguez is doubtful because of a sore knee.
Goals from Fidel Ambriz, Angel Mena and Adonis Frias helped propel them to victory in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Tigres, while Victor Davila leads them with three goals in this competition so far.
In their previous home fixture against the Black and Gold, Mena and former winger Jean Meneses each found the back of the net, while goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota, who led Liga MX this season with nine clean sheets, stopped all seven shots that he faced in that 2020 encounter.
LAFC could be without numerous players for this opening leg as Aaron Long and Jesus Murillo are questionable with issues to their lower extremities, Kellyn Acosta and Giorgio Chiellini are out for those same reasons, Tony Leone has a right leg injury and Maxime Crepeau continues to recover from a broken left leg.
Timothy Tillman and Kwadwo Opoku each netted in the second leg of their semi-final versus the Union, while Denis Bouanga leads all scorers in this competition, putting home his sixth CCL goal in that match, while John McCarthy made two saves for his fourth Champions League clean sheet.
A brace from Carlos Vela and a goal by former striker Diego Rossi gave them a 3-0 win versus Leon in their last 16 tie in 2020, enabling the Black and Gold to reverse that two-goal deficit and win 3-2 on aggregate.
Club Leon possible starting lineup:
Cota; Castillo, Barreiro, Frias, Tesillo; Mena, Ambriz, Romero, Hernandez; Campbell, Davila
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Hollingshead, Duenas, Maldonado, Palacios; Opoku, Sanchez, Cifuentes; Torres, Vela, Bouanga
We say: Club Leon 1-1 Los Angeles FC
Given that this is a two-leg affair, we expect a cagier encounter on Wednesday with few chances being taken for each side, though there are quality players on both teams who only need a half-chance to score.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
