Club León defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 on Sunday night to win its first CONCACAF Champions League championship. Lucas Di Yorio scored in the first half. León triumphed 2-1 in Mexico on Wednesday night to win the championship 3-1 overall. At the intimidating BMO Stadium of LAFC, the Liga MX team delighted its thousands of out-of-town supporters with another successful effort, capped by Di Yorio’s goal in the 20th minute.
León coach Nicolás Larcamón declared, “This is a very difficult team to beat.” “But we had a good plan, and we worked very well together in a difficult situation.” León defeated the reigning Major League Soccer winners with ease last month despite being sixth in the Liga MX standings. excellent performance in both legs. León is the eighth team from Mexico to win the Champions League since the competition’s current structure was introduced in 2002.
Last fall, LAFC won the MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield, but fell short of completing an unprecedented triple for an MLS club.
The Seattle Sounders won the Champions League for the first time in the current system a year ago, adding weight to the growing parity of the leagues. The team also lost the 2020 final to Tigres after defeating León with a second-leg comeback victory earlier in that competition. Nevertheless, LAFC lost the Champions League final for the second time in four seasons. 17 of the previous 18 CCL championships have been won by Mexican teams.
This final, in Cherundolo’s opinion, highlights the limitations. created by the stricter financial guidelines for MLS and the ensuing roster restrictions. Due to the demands of the MLS regular season and the U.S. Open Cup, LAFC was also playing its ninth match since May 2, whereas León had not played since May 7 due to Liga MX’s season ending.
Although most agreed that MLS titles mean more to fans, LAFC’s coaches and executives billed this final as the most significant match in team history in an effort to win international recognition for their incredible accomplishment in just six seasons of existence. León grabbed a two-goal lead in the first leg’s extra period but Denis Bouanga’s stunning goal kept LAFC’s hopes alive despite its 2-1 setback. Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini, who had not played since April 26 due to a leg injury, was one of the five defenders in the formation. The formation, according to Cherundolo, was chosen for “more control” and better wing attacking.
Di Yorio increased León’s advantage despite LAFC being more aggressive offensively than in the first leg. The Argentine attacker found space in the area and bounced a shot past LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy, who had made several outstanding stops in the first game. In the second half, LAFC created a few opportunities that appeared to have some potential, but they only managed to get three attempts on target. In the fourth minute of added time in the second half, Rodolfo Cota, the goalkeeper for León, produced an outstanding save on Timothy Tillman’s header. The LAFC rematch began with an unusual goal from LAFC. At the end of July, both leagues will pause domestic competition to host their third edition League Cup club tournament, which will feature all of the MLS and Liga MX teams for the first time. join.
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