LAFC @ Columbus Crew - Leagues Cup 2024 - Final
Sunday, Aug. 25 at 4:15 p.m. PT
🏟: Lower.com Field - Columbus, OH
🖥: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Univision
🎪: LAFC Official Watch Party - Level Up Arcade at the Fields LA
Following a 4-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the Semifinals, LAFC will next face the Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup Final on Sunday, August 25, at Lower.com Field.
This matchup marks the second tournament final between the Black & Gold and the Crew in less than nine months, with Columbus securing a 2-1 win over LAFC in the 2023 MLS Cup Final.
Sunday’s game not only serves as a rematch of that title game, but as a showdown in the Leagues Cup 2024 Golden Boot race. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, the 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner, and Columbus’ Diego Rossi, who won the 2020 MLS Golden Boot with LAFC, are tied for first place in goals scored in Leagues Cup 2024, with six each.
Bouanga has scored 12 goals in Leagues Cup in the competition’s two-year history, making him the all-time leading scorer in the competition.
LAFC is in impressive form, boasting an 18W-1L-3D record over its last 22 matches across all competitions. The Black & Gold’s only loss in that span was a 5-1 defeat to the Crew last month at BMO Stadium. Of LAFC’s two straight losses to the Crew, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said, “I just think there were not great moments [when] we have played them. We didn't have good performances. I'm not concerned about matchups or tactics. It's all pretty clear. It's about individual performances. The first two matches against them, we had some poor ones and the other night [against Colorado] we had great ones.”
Cherundolo added that Sunday’s Final could potentially mark new striker Olivier Giroud’s first start in an LAFC shirt. “It's certainly possible,” Cherundolo said. “I guess we'll wait and see.”
The Crew In Depth:
Under the leadership of Wilfried Nancy, the Crew have continued their strong, consistent performances since winning the 2023 MLS Cup. Prior to this Leagues Cup Final appearance, Columbus reached the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Final in June.
The Crew bypassed the Group Stage of Leagues Cup 2024 as a reward for their 2023 MLS Cup title and have progressed through the knockout stages by defeating Sporting Kansas City, Inter Miami CF, New York City FC, and the Philadelphia Union to reach their first-ever Leagues Cup Final.
In their last 11 matches across all competitions, the Crew have lost only once and hold a record of 8W-1L-2D. In addition to Rossi, Cucho Hernández remains a key player for the Crew, contributing two goals and two assists in this tournament. “I think there's different ways to match up against these guys,” LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said. “We've seen them twice and so I think we've got even more video of what we want to do and how we want to line up against them. That'll be helpful.”
The Black & Gold Can Win If:
It can erase the disappointment of the loss to the Crew last November. Coming off back-to-back shutout wins in this competition, LAFC enters Sunday’s final in peak form, having outscored their opponents 18-3 in six matches in Leagues Cup 2024.
Another key piece will be goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ ability to control the game. A veteran of numerous finals over his illustrious international career, Lloris has recorded four clean sheets in five Leagues Cup appearances this summer and leads the tournament with 29 long passes, two of which resulted in goals for Bouanga.
The Crew Can Win If:
It can score first and leverage the support of the home crowd to gain control of the match. Columbus has been unbeaten at home since early May across all competitions and has outscored opponents 11-4 at Lower.com Field in Leagues Cup 2024. The Crew are expected to use a strategy similar to the one that produced its recent positive results against LAFC. That approach is based on winning the possession battle in midfield and sending incisive passes into any open spaces it finds in LAFC’s defending half.
