2023 CONCACAF Champions League final

2023 CONCACAF Champions League final

Event	2023 CONCACAF Champions League
León Los Angeles FC 3 1
First leg
León Los Angeles FC 2 1
Date	May 31, 2023 (2023-05-31)
Venue	Estadio León, León, Guanajuato, Mexico
Referee	Walter López (Guatemala)
Attendance	20,517
Weather	Partly cloudy, 88 °F (31 °C)
Second leg
Los Angeles FC León 0 1
Date	June 4, 2023 (2023-06-04)
Venue	BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Referee	Iván Barton (El Salvador)
Attendance	22,413
Weather	Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
← 2022 2024 (Champions Cup)→

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.

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

Los Angeles	León
BMO Stadium	Estadio León
Capacity: 22,000	Capacity: 31,297

Road to the final

Further information: 2023 CONCACAF Champions League

Both 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

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] 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

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. ^{[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

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

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. 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

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

Matches

First leg

Details

31 May 2023 (2023-05-31)

22:00 (20:00  UTC−6)

León	2–1	Los Angeles FC
Tesillo 8' Mena 45+5' (pen.)	Report	Bouanga 90+6'

Estadio León, León

Attendance: 20,517

Referee: Walter López (Guatemala)

GK 30 Rodolfo Cota RB 3 Iván Moreno CB 21 Jaine Barreiro  90+8' CB 22 Adonis Frías  43' LB 6 William Tesillo (c)  33' RM 13 Ángel Mena  63' CM 26 Fidel Ambríz CM 29 Lucas Romero  65' LM 19 Yairo Moreno  8' CF 7 Víctor Dávila  85' CF 20 Alfonso Alvarado  63' Substitutes: GK 1 Alfonso Blanco GK 40 Óscar García DF 23 Byron Castillo DF 24 Osvaldo Rodríguez  63' DF 25 Paul Bellón MF 8 José Iván Rodríguez MF 11 Elías Hernández  8'  63' MF 12 Joel Campbell  63' MF 27 Jesús Angulo FW 15 Brian Rubio  85' FW 18 Lucas Di Yorio  63' Manager: Nicolás Larcamón

GK 77 John McCarthy RB 24 Ryan Hollingshead  45+4'  60' CB 2 Denil Maldonado  45' CB 33 Aaron Long LB 12 Diego Palacios RM 11 Timothy Tillman  85' CM 6 Ilie Sánchez  68' LM 20 José Cifuentes  89' RF 22 Kwadwo Opoku  60' CF 10 Carlos Vela (c) LF 99 Dénis Bouanga Substitutes: GK 1 Eldin Jakupović DF 18 Erik Dueñas  85' DF 30 Sergi Palencia  60' DF 80 Julian Gaines MF 17 Daniel Crisostomo MF 19 Mateusz Bogusz  68' MF 23 Kellyn Acosta FW 7 Stipe Biuk  60' FW 27 Nathan Ordaz Manager: Steve Cherundolo

Assistant referees: Luis Aroldo Ventura (Guatemala) Humberto Panjoj (Guatemala) Fourth official: Mario Escobar (Guatemala) Video assistant referee: Drew Fischer (Canada) Assistant video assistant referees: Guillermo Pacheco Larios (Mexico)

Second leg

Details

4 June 2023 (2023-06-04)

21:00 (18:00  UTC−7)

Los Angeles FC	0–1	León
	Report	Di Yorio 20'

BMO Stadium, Los Angeles

Attendance: 22,413

Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)

GK 77 John McCarthy RB 30 Sergi Palencia  56' CB 3 Jesús David Murillo  75' CB 14 Giorgio Chiellini  46' CB 33 Aaron Long  69' LB 12 Diego Palacios  19' CM 6 Ilie Sánchez  32'  63' CM 23 Kellyn Acosta RF 10 Carlos Vela (c)  52'  64' CF 99 Dénis Bouanga LF 19 Mateusz Bogusz Substitutes: GK 1 Eldin Jakupović DF 2 Denil Maldonado  69' DF 18 Erik Dueñas DF 24 Ryan Hollingshead  90'  56' DF 80 Julian Gaines MF 11 Timothy Tillman  63' MF 17 Daniel Crisostomo MF 20 José Cifuentes  46' FW 7 Stipe Biuk  64' FW 22 Kwadwo Opoku FW 27 Nathan Ordaz Manager: Steve Cherundolo

GK 30 Rodolfo Cota RB 3 Iván Moreno  76'  87' CB 21 Jaine Barreiro  19' CB 22 Adonis Frías  81' LB 6 William Tesillo (c) DM 29 Lucas Romero RW 13 Ángel Mena  69' AM 26 Fidel Ambríz  80' LW 11 Elías Hernández  86' CF 18 Lucas Di Yorio  76' CF 7 Víctor Dávila Substitutes: GK 1 Alfonso Blanco GK 40 Óscar García DF 23 Byron Castillo DF 24 Osvaldo Rodríguez  87' DF 25 Paul Bellón DF 34 Óscar Villa MF 8 José Iván Rodríguez MF 27 Jesús Angulo MF 28 David Ramírez FW 12 Joel Campbell  90+9'  69' FW 15 Brian Rubio  76' FW 20 Alfonso Alvarado  86' Manager: Nicolás Larcamón

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. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
3. "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.
4. 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.
5. "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.
6. "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.
7. 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.
8. "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.
9. "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.
10. Martínez, Edgar (April 26, 2023). "Tigres take first-leg advantage over Club León in Concacaf Champions League semi-final". AS. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
11. "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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. "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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. "LAFC Announces Date Change For Home Match Against St. Louis CITY SC" (Press release). Los Angeles FC. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
24. "LAFC Announces Date Change For Home Match Against Atlanta United" (Press release). Los Angeles FC. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
25. "SCCL Regulations 2023" (PDF). CONCACAF. pp. 24–25. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.

External links

• CONCACAF Champions League website