LAFC return to BMO Stadium Sunday, June 4th, to host Club Leon in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final after losing the first match 2-1.
Leon pounced quickly in the first leg with left-back William Tesillo's headed shot leaving LAFC's John McCarthy rooted to the spot. It was clear to see that Leon used Tim Tillman's pre-game comments about their tactical ability for motivation.
Los Esmeraldas then doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time with a penalty from Angel Mena, who scored his third goal in the competition.
Leon looked like they were going to come away with a clean sheet in the first leg until Denis Bouanga found the back of the net in the 96th minute, which was his seventh goal in the competition. LAFC will prepare for the second leg feeling confident that they are only down on goal playing in front of their supporters.
Although possession was balanced in the first leg, Leon outshot LAFC 16 to 10 and created three big chances, missing two of them that could've put put the series to bed. Leon may end up ruing their missed chances when it's all said and done.
Where to watch LAFC vs. Leon on TV/live stream?
When is kick-off? 9:00 PM EST
Where is the game being played? BMO Stadium
TV channel/live stream? FS1, TUDN, UniMas, Univision NOW
What time does TV coverage start? 8:55 PM EST
LAFC team news
Giorgio Chiellini, Jesus Murillo, Maxime Crepeau and Tony Leone remain sidelined until mid-June. Aaron Long picked up a leg injury during the first leg and looks set to miss the second leg.
Head coach Steve Cherundolo stated in post-game interviews that his side were lucky to come away from the game one goal down.
"I’m very disappointed in our performance tonight,” he said. “That goal does give us a chance, but that goal alone does not help us win a final ... I think the scoreline is extremely lucky for us."
"Credit to Léon, they played excellent in the first half. We didn't have answers for that. And so just backing up and receding and not defending forward has never been a successful way to defend. It's never been the way we do things at LAFC and it's certainly not something we plan on doing in the future, especially Sunday."
Leon team news
Jose Rodriguez is a doubt, again, with a knee injury while Jose David Ramirez's timetable from a hip injury remains unknown.
Head coach Nicolas Larcamon was proud of his squad's performance and believes they can get the job done on Sunday night.
"Taking away those last minutes, I am left with very good feelings about what we are capable of doing on Sunday," he said. "We are a team that has competed very well every time we leave home, we have established ourselves very well in very difficult stadiums and against great teams, and this will not be the exception."
LAFC vs. Leon score prediction
LAFC will look to score early in the second leg to get on level terms with Leon. Although they will know that a 2-1 lead isn't enough to get their hands on the CCL trophy, Leon may sit back and defend for larger periods to frustrate LAFC. One goal from Leon could just about seal the deal for Los Verdiblancos.
However, the game could also feature end-to-end action as both sides know what's at stake. Both sides also have the firepower to score goals, as Leon demonstrated in the first leg. With LAFC's injury woes, Leon could yet again create a host of chances in front of goal.
Prediction: LAFC 2 - Leon 2 (4-3 aggregate)
This article was originally published on 90min as LAFC vs. Club Leon - CONCACAF Champions League final preview: TV channel live stream, team news & prediction.
