LAFC vs Vancouver Whitecaps
Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00pm PT
Location: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, California
TV: FS1, TUDN
After a Denis Bouanga hat-trick helped LAFC defeat Austin FC 3-0 on Saturday, April 8, the Black & Gold will now play their fourth game in 11 days when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 11. Kick-off is set for 7:15 at BMO Stadium.
LAFC comes into the second leg with a 3-0 advantage after defeating the Whitecaps in dominating fashion on Wednesday, April 5 - the first win for LAFC at BC Place since 2018.
The Black & Gold look to secure their second-ever appearance in the Concacaf Champions League semifinals when the Whitecaps come to town Tuesday. LAFC last appeared in the Concacaf Champions League semifinals in 2020 when they defeated Mexican side Club America 3-1.
The Whitecaps are coming in on a positive note after defeating the Portland Timbers 1-0 on Saturday, April 8 in the 2023 Major League Soccer regular season.
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WHITECAPS IN-DEPTH
Led by head coach Vanni Sartini, the Whitecaps are hoping to flip the script on LAFC as they attempt to avenge their first leg loss. The Whitecaps were able to hold off and pressure LAFC into a tight first half draw before seeing second half goals by Denis Bouanga and Mahala Opoku gave LAFC a 3-0 advantage.
The Whitecaps have had five different goal scorers in the Concacaf Champions League so far, which includes two goals from forward Brian White, who scored the winning goal for the Caps in their victory against the Timbers last Saturday.
The Whitecaps are expected to be without striker Sergio Córdova, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.
LAFC WILL WIN IF
They are able to keep their foot on the gas and find a way to put the Caps away early. The Club suffered a slight scare when L.D. Alajuelense scored two unanswered goals in the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. The Black & Gold will need to lean on the veteran leadership of Captain Carlos Vela to keep the team focused to secure their spot in the next round.
WHITECAPS CAN WIN IF
They can catch LAFC off guard and out of position as the LAFC depth is being tested in this busy stretch of games. Having nine different goal scorers across all competitions in 2023, the Whitecaps have proved just about anyone on the ball can be a threat to the LAFC defense. Vancouver will most likely come out in either 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 lineup and will hope to catch LAFC off guard early.
