MIAMI, Florida – The 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League has all come down to one final game, as Los Angeles FC will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit on aggregate when they host Club Leon in the second leg of the 2023 SCCL Final on Sunday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Wednesday’s first leg was a thrilling encounter in which Club Leon looked set to carry a two-goal advantage into the return leg, only for LAFC’s Denis Bouanga to score in the dying seconds to bring the Major League Soccer side to within a goal.
It was Bouanga’s tournament-leading seventh goal and a major boost for LAFC after Club Leon had struck earlier in the contest through William Tesillo and Angel Mena.
The 2-1 Club Leon win brought an end to Club Leon’s winless streak versus MLS opponents (2D-1L) in SCCL play, while LAFC’s four-match unbeaten run in the SCCL (3W-1D) also concluded. It was also the third time in Concacaf club final history that the home team won the first leg 2-1, yet in the previous two instances (1967, 2010) the victorious home team in the first leg did not win the title.
An LAFC win by two goals or more would make them the fourth U.S. team in history to be Concacaf champion, while a draw or victory would be enough to secure a first ever Concacaf club crown for Club Leon and make them the 14th different Mexican club to be a Concacaf champion.
Mena and Tesillo were the leaders for La Fiera in the first leg, and in addition to his goal, Mena assisted on the Tesillo score. Mena now has four goals in nine SCCL matches, including two versus LAFC. Meanwhile, Tesillo had two clearances, two ball recoveries and led the team in completed passes with 42, to go along with his goal.
Bouanga has two assists on top of his seven goals and will be relied upon again to help provide an attacking spark for LAFC, as will Carlos Vela, who has three goals and two assists in the 2023 SCCL. Diego Palacios has also been an important presence in the tournament, with 16 ball recoveries, including five in the first leg, and 287 completed passes.
A great night full of excitement awaits as one of these two teams will become Concacaf champion for the first time.
Game Notes, Stats, LAFC vs Club Leon
Match Officials:
