LAFC falls to León in first leg of CONCACAF Champions League final

Club León came out aggressive, pounced on LAFC miscues and took the opening leg of their CONCACAF Champions League final, 2-1, on Wednesday night in front of 20,517 at Estadio León in León, Mexico.

LAFC has spent weeks navigating a busy schedule filled with MLS matches and the U.S. Open Cup, while León had not played since May 7, but the hosts showed no signs of rust and gave their supporters something to cheer early.

William Tesillo scored on a header off a corner kick just eight minutes into the match and León kept the pressure on throughout. The hosts recorded 28 touches in LAFC’s box in the first half, which is the most the team has ever allowed in any half.

William Tesillo rises the highest and gives @clubleonfc the lead in the 8th minute! pic.twitter.com/EHKxp2KuVf

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 1, 2023

LAFC nearly reached the intermission down by just one goal, but defender Ryan Hollingshead was called for a handball in the box after a video review during first-half stoppage time. Angel Mena converted the ensuing penalty kick to send León to the locker room with additional momentum.

León doubles its advantage over LAFC right before the half thanks to Ángel Mena from the spot! ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/OJIBsMDSa5

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 1, 2023

LAFC never got much going offensively, mustering just two shots on goal – one by Jose Cifuentes early and one by Stipe Biuk in the 64th minute – and errant passes contributed to a largely stress-free night for León goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota.

The one positive for LAFC on a night when the MLS champions were clearly outplayed was a late goal from Denis Bouanga. In the 96th minute, Carlos Vela sent a pass to Sergi Palencia, who then set up Bouanga for his seventh goal of the tournament.

IN STOPPAGE TIME@BouangaDenis is that dude. #LAFC
pic.twitter.com/l6w7AEsxx3

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023

The second leg of the final, which will be decided on aggregate goals, is Sunday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, where LAFC has lost just 14 times in 103 games. LAFC can also point to the past for motivation. The club trailed León 2-0 after one leg in the Round of 16 in 2020 before earning a 3-0 comeback win at home to advance.