March 9 – The early weeks of the season are already hinting at something ominous for the rest of the region. Los Angeles FC look sharp, ruthless, and very much like the team everyone else in the Concacaf Champions Cup will have to deal with.
LAFC welcomes Costa Rica’s LD Alajuelense to BMO Stadium on Tuesday for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie, and the MLS side arrives as one of the clear tournament favorites.
Their opening round performance was sensational as they swept aside Honduran club Real C.D. España with a commanding 7–1 aggregate victory, a display that underlined both their attacking depth and the growing chemistry within the squad.
Few teams in the region can match the firepower LAFC now possesses. Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga (pictured) were unstoppable in the opening round, stretching defenses with pace and movement.
Just as important is the steady hand on the touchline. New Head coach Marco Dos Santos has slipped seamlessly into one the most consistent teams in North America. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and Dos Santos has kept the organisation and discipline in place while getting his players to dictate the tempo of games.
For Alajuelense, the challenge is significant but not unfamiliar. The Costa Rican’s arrive as reigning Central American Cup champions and are playing their seventh round-of-16 series in the competition. Mexican forward Ronaldo Cisneros, alongside Costa Rican international Ronald Matarrita bring experience and quality to a squad that has dominated Central American competition in recent seasons.
Still, the momentum sits firmly in Los Angeles as Alajuelense avoided any first-round entanglements by getting a bye into the round of 16.
On the home front, LD Alajuelense sits on top of the Costa Rican Primera Division and are coming off a comfortable 2-0 win over San Carlos at the weekend.
LAFC have reached the round of 16 in every previous appearance in the tournament and advanced each time.
Leg 1: March 10 at 11 pm ET – BMO Stadium
Leg 2: March 17 at 9 pm ET – Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto