Despite a relatively short history, Los Angeles Football Club have been incredibly successful in Major League Soccer. In addition to being the defending MLS champions, they’ve won a pair of Supporters’ Shields (2019, 2022) and reached the final of the 2020 Concacaf Champions League.
Across international competition, they’ve faced Liga MX teams a total of ten times. While their record hasn’t been a winning one (four wins, six losses), they’ve shown themselves to be a tough opponent for any side, as they showed in taking CF Monterrey to the wire in their Leagues Cup quarterfinal last month. Ahead of next week’s Campeones Cup, here’s a look at three of their biggest wins over Liga MX opposition.
2023 Leagues Cup Round of 32: Los Angeles Football Club 7-1 FC Juárez
At a sold-out BMO Stadium, the hosts kicked off their 2023 Leagues Cup campaign in style against an overmatched Liga MX side. As MLS Cup Champions, LAFC had earned a bye into the Round of 32, and they were quick to make up for lost time in front of their fans. Dénis Bouanga had a hat trick and an assist, while captain Carlos Vela added two goals and an assist in the tournament’s biggest win.
While another Mexican side would eliminate LAFC a week later, the result laid down a serious maker in the competition for the growing quality of Major League Soccer, something that would be further confirmed by three of the four semifinalists also being from the US-based league.
2020 Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinal: Los Angeles Football Club 2-1 Cruz Azul
Despite losing in the final of the 2020 Concacaf Champions League, LAFC turned in a strong performance. The latter stages of the tournament were unfortunately interrupted by COVID-19, but when the competition resumed “in the bubble” in Orlando, the Black and Gold were one of the competition’s strongest sides. Making their tournament debut, they had beaten Club León over two legs in February, 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to a Carlos Vela brace in the second leg.
In the quarterfinals, they faced a Cruz Azul side with plenty of experience, and the Liga MX side showed their skill by going ahead inside fifteen minutes thanks to a penalty. Vela then drew and converted a penalty of his own just before halftime, before Kwadwo Opoku, who had come off the bench, sealed the result with twenty minutes to go.
2020 Concacaf Champions League Semifinal: Los Angeles Football Club 3-1 Club América
While not as dramatic as their win in the previous round, LAFC’s win over Club América, one of the true giants of the Mexican game, is one of the most impressive in their short history. Played in Orlando behind closed doors, Las Aguilas started the match the brighter, and scored first, but the inevitable Vela struck twice in two minutes just after halftime.
Latif Blessing added a third in stoppage time, and even if LAFC would then lose the final to Club Tigres, there was little doubt that the MLS side had announced their presence as one of North America’s top sides.
