LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 04: Luis Di Yorio #18 of Leon controls the ball celebrates a goal against Los Angeles FC in the first half during the semifinal second leg match between Leon and Tigres UANL as part of the Concacaf Champions League 2023 at BMO Stadium on June 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES -- The Concacaf Champions League Final title is headed back to Liga MX.
Leon on Sunday beat LAFC 1-0 in Leg 2 of the series, thus taking home the title 3-1 on aggregate after winning the opening leg 2-1 on Wednesday.
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LAFC started the game with a 5-3-2 shape to Leon's 4-2-3-1. For LAFC, Georgio Chiellini, Jesus Murillo and Kellyn Acosta all returned to the starting eleven after missing the first leg, but going with five at the back proved to be costly for manager Steve Cherundolo.
Los Angeles needed two goals without conceding to claim the lead on aggregate, but deploying more defenders than attackers at home was just too conservative of a strategy. And it backfired quickly.
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Leon opened the scoring in the 20th minute when striker Lucas Di Yorio rather uncleanly got his shot past John McCarthy, who failed to parry it properly.
That allowed Leon to revert to a 5-3-2 shape of their own to set up shop defensively and close out the game knowing LAFC needed three goals to have a chance.
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Acosta came close for LAFC in the 41st minute with a left-footed outside-the-box strike that went just wide left before Cherundolo made several halftime tweaks.
LAFC went back to a 4-2-3-1 shape as Chiellini and Matseuz Bogusz made way for Jose Cifuentes and Kwadwo Opoku, but the problem still lied in a lack of directness from the wide threats and the midfield offering little to no progression of the ball.
Then Carlos Vela, LAFC's engine in attack, surprisingly was substituted in the 61st minute for youngster Stipe Biuk despite the side still needing three goals. As expected, Los Angeles still failed to create quality chances as it ended the game with 14 shots, yet only three hit the target. None posed a significant threat to Leon goalie Rodolfo Cota.
The win for Leon makes it the team's first win in tournament history. La Fiera were runner-ups in 1993, while LAFC was a runner up in 2020 after losing to Tigres 2-1 in a single-leg match.
Leon ends a one-year American reign of the title after the Seattle Sounders became the first ever MLS team to win the tournament last year, having beat UNAM Pumas 5-2 on aggregate.
