April 7 – LAFC and Cruz Azul have met once before in this competition, a single-match Quarterfinal in December 2020, played in the bubble at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium due to the COVID_19 pandemic.
Carlos Vela’s penalty and a Kwadwo Opoku strike gave the Black and Gold a 2-1 win that night. Now they meet again, properly, over two legs, with BMO Stadium hosting the first.
LAFC are making their fourth quarter-finals appearance and have come through twice before in 2020 over Cruz Azul, and a 6-nil aggregate demolition of Vancouver Whitecaps in 2023. Last year, Inter Miami ended their run at this stage, 3-2 on aggregate.
They advanced from the Round of 16 the hard way with a 90+2 minute goal from David Martínez in Costa Rica to edge past LD Alajuelense, 3-2 on aggregate. Nervy, but they got through.
Marc Dos Santos has built LAFC around pace, and the attacking combination of Heung-min Son and Denis Bouanga is as dangerous as anything in the CONCACAF region. Son is the focal point with clever movement, while Bouanga is the pressure release, direct and willing to run at defenders the moment the ball turns over.
Behind them, Hugo Lloris provides exactly what you want from a goalkeeper with experience to keep a side level when the game is moving against you.
Cruz Azul arrive as the reigning Champions Cup holders and are in the quarter-finals for the 11th time. La Máquina came through a bruising Round of 16 against fellow Liga MX side CF Monterrey, winning 4-3 on aggregate, and they carry that resilience into Los Angeles.
Nicolás Larcamón’s side is more possession-focused than Cruz Azul teams of recent memory and happy to probe rather than force. Erik Lira drives the engine in midfield, physical and progressive on the ball. Carlos Rodríguez links the lines from deeper positions. Gabriel Fernández is the one to watch around the box.
LAFC boss, Dos Santos, to his credit, has been direct about the challenge. He’s acknowledged Cruz Azul as a genuine favourite on paper, a realistic read of a club that won this trophy last year and knows how to navigate knockout football on the road. His job is to channel the energy of a packed BMO Stadium into something productive early, before Cruz Azul settles into their rhythm.
LAFC wants to play fast, transition quickly, and make it chaotic behind a high defensive line. Cruz Azul wants none of that, and they’ll look to slow the tempo, circulate patiently, and make LAFC work to break them down. An away goal for La Máquina would be enormous. A clean sheet for Cruz Azul in Los Angeles would put enormous pressure on LAFC heading into the Second Leg.
LAFC vs. Cruz Azul, Concacaf Champions Cup Quarter-finals, First Leg BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, April 7, 8pm KO (PT)