It feels like a lifetime ago when LAFC pulled off a stunning comeback win on Feb. 27 over Liga MX side Club León to advance to the 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (SCCL) Quarterfinals. The Black & Gold found themselves backed into a corner after suffering a 2-0 defeat in León on Feb. 19, but roared back to a stunning 3-0 victory in the second leg of the competition at Banc California Stadium to take the match and advance.
Now, after waiting 279 days after the competition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LAFC will finally take on Liga MX powerhouse Cruz Azul in the Quarterfinals of what is now a single-elimination tournament on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. PT at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, FL on FOX Sports.
Although LAFC faltered in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs last week in a 3-1 defeat to Seattle Sounders FC, the Club has another chance to earn hardware this year and an opportunity to earn a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup 2020, now scheduled to be played in Qatar from February 1-11, 2021. The Black & Gold are one of four MLS sides remaining in the competition, joining Montreal Impact, New York City FC and Atlanta United FC.
After the disappointing first round postseason loss, LAFC has time to regroup at training and the time will hopefully provide an opportunity for the Club’s internationals, Diego Rossi, Brian Rodriguez, José Cifuentes and Diego Palacios to return to action after missing the Seattle match due to contracting COVID-19 with their respective national teams. Despite announcing some roster moves for the 2021 season, all players currently on the roster are under contract through the end of the year, and will be available to participate in the SCCL tournament.
LAFC’s upcoming opponent, Cruz Azul, currently find themselves heading towards the Liga MX Apertura Semifinals against Pumas UNAM on Dec. 3 and Dec. 6. La Máquina advanced to the final four after defeating Tigres in the Quarterfinals in less than appealing fashion, holding on to a 3-2 aggregate goal victory.
Cruz Azul began the 2020-2021 Apertura season strong, winning the preseason Copa GNP por Mexico by defeating Guadalajara 2-1 in the final. They maintained impressive form throughout the season, remaining amongst the top of the Liga MX table before losing four of their last five regular season matches, including key losses to Toluca, Tigres, Monterrey and Pumas.
After nearly 300 days in between Champions League matches – how will the teams resume the competition?
It is back to the ‘bubble’. Similar to the ‘bubble’ created for the MLS is Back Tournament, Concacaf introduced a centralized format and developed extensive new SCCL regulations to ensure the delivery of a safe and highly controlled environment for all the players, coaches, team staff and officials who will participate. All matches will be played at Exploria Stadium in downtown Orlando, the home of Orlando City SC of MLS. The entirety of the competition will take place from December 15-22, and instead of the usual two-leg match format, the rounds have now been adjusted to a one-match, single elimination.
All remaining matches of the 2020 SCCL will be played behind closed doors but will be widely available for fans across the region to follow and enjoy through the Confederation’s TV partner networks, including FOX Sports (USA-English), TUDN (USA-Spanish), Fox Sports Latin America (Mexico-Spanish), ESPN (Central America-Spanish), TSN and RDS (Canada-English and French), Flow Sports (Caribbean-English) and other local partners.
The winner of this competition will then be crowned Concacaf’s regional club champion and will earn the right to represent the Confederation at the FIFA Club World Cup 2020. Club’s that have already qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup include: Germany’s Bayern Munich (Winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League), Egypt’s Al Ahly (Winners of the 2019–20 CAF Champions League), Qatar’s Al-Duhail (Winners of the 2019–20 Qatar Stars League (hosts)) and New Zealand’s Auckland City (Nominated by OFC).
You can find the full SCCL schedule below (listed in PST):
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 – Quarterfinals
5:00 p.m. - Montreal Impact (CAN) vs. CD Olimpia (HON)
7:30 p.m. - Tigres UANL (MEX) vs. New York City FC (USA)
Wednesday, December 16, 2020 – Quarterfinals
5:00 p.m. - Atlanta United FC (USA) vs. Club America (MEX)
7:30 p.m. - Los Angeles Football Club (USA) vs. Cruz Azul (MEX)
Saturday, December 19, 2020 – Semifinals
5:00 p.m. - Montreal Impact (CAN) or CD Olimpia (HON) vs. Tigres UANL (MEX) or New York City FC (USA)
7:30 p.m. - Atlanta United FC (USA) or Club America (MEX) vs. Los Angeles FC (USA) or Cruz Azul (MEX)
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 – Final
7:00 p.m. - Winner Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner Semifinal No. 2
Further CCL Tournament information, including past fixtures and results, can be found here.
