The 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final was the final round of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, the 15th and final edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup under the Champions League name, and overall the 58th edition of the premier club association football competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The final was contested in a two-legged home-and-away series by Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer and Club León of Liga MX. León hosted the first leg at Estadio León in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, on May 31 and won 2–1. Los Angeles FC hosted the second leg at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States, on June 4 and lost 1–0. The final was pushed back to allow for the Clasura 2023 finals to take place in Mexico. León won 3–1 on aggregate.

Venues Los Angeles León BMO Stadium Estadio León Capacity: 22,000 Capacity: 31,297

Road to the final

Both teams in the final had yet to win a CONCACAF Champions League, but previously reached the finals in previous editions. León and Los Angeles FC last played each other in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League's round of 16, which LAFC won 3–2 on aggregate.

León

Club León previously qualified for the final round of the 1993 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, but lost in the round-robin group to Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa on goal difference. They had some league success in the 2010s and qualified for multiple editions of the CONCACAF Champions League, but were eliminated in three consecutive years by MLS teams. Their best finish during this stretch came in the 2022 edition, where they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Seattle Sounders FC. León qualified for the 2023 edition—their fifth in the continental tournament—as the runners-up in the 2021 Apertura playoffs in Liga MX.

The team were drawn against Panamanian side Tauro in the round of 16 and won 1–0 in the first leg, which was played in Panama City. Iván Moreno scored the lone goal of the match in the 55th minute from close range after receiving a deflected ball from a Tauro defender. León won 2–0 in the second leg to advance 3–0 on aggregate to the quarterfinals; Brian Rubio and Elías Hernández both scored in the first half.

In the quarterfinals, León played Haitian side Violette AC, who had earned an upset victory against Austin FC of MLS in the previous round. In the first leg at Estadio León, the hosts won 5–0 with a brace from Víctor Dávila in the second half and two goals in stoppage time. The team lost 2–1 in the second leg, conceding twice to Violette's Miche-Naider Chéry, but advanced 6–2 on aggregate to their first semifinals.

León met fellow Liga MX side Tigres in the semifinals and played away in the first leg. Dávila opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but a pair of goals created by Tigres winger Luis Quiñones near halftime gave the hosts a 2–1 win. During the first 15 minutes of the second leg, Fidel Ambríz and Ángel Mena scored for León to take the lead on aggregate. Raymundo Fulgencio equalized for Tigres, but a 79th-minute strike by Adonis Frías from a corner kick clinched a 3–1 win and 4–3 aggregate victory for León.

Los Angeles FC

Los Angeles FC (LAFC) entered MLS as an expansion team in 2018. The club qualified for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the 2019 MLS Supporters' Shield and advanced to the final, which had been delayed to December due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was played in Orlando, Florida. LAFC lost 2–1 to Tigres UANL, becoming the fourth MLS team and second from the United States to finish as runners-up under the modern Champions League format.

As MLS Cup 2022 champions and Supporters' Shield holders, LAFC qualified for their second Champions League. They lost several key players in the offseason, including midfielder Latif Blessing and forwards Cristian Arango and Cristian Tello, and signed several replacements but still lacked a new center forward option. The club were drawn against Costa Rican side Alajuelense, the 2022 CONCACAF League runners-up, in the round of 16 and won the away leg 3–0 with a hat-trick scored by Denis Bouanga. LAFC lost 2–1 in the second leg at home but advanced with a 4–2 aggregate score.

In the quarterfinals, LAFC faced fellow MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC from Canada and won 6–0 on aggregate, scoring thrice in each leg. The away leg in Vancouver was decided by a trio of goals within ten minutes during the second half—Bouanga's brace and assist to Kwadwo Opoku. Captain Carlos Vela scored twice in the second leg—from a penalty kick and close range in the first half—and was joined after half-time by José Cifuentes, who entered as a substitute and struck both posts with his goal.

The semifinal was a rematch of the MLS Cup final played five months earlier between LAFC and the Philadelphia Union, who had also finished as runners-up in the Supporters' Shield race. A league fixture for LAFC was rescheduled to accommodate the semifinal series as well as potential advancement to the final. LAFC drew 1–1 in the first leg and won 3–0 in the second leg to advance from the semifinals. They became the first MLS team to advance to a second Champions League final under the current format. LAFC's league matches against St. Louis City SC and Atlanta United FC were rescheduled due to conflicts with the two legs of the final as well as the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.

Summary of results Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: Home; A: Away).

Los Angeles FCRound León Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg   Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg Alajuelense 4–2 3–0 (A) 1–2 (H)Round of 16 Tauro 3–0 1–0 (A) 2–0 (H) Vancouver Whitecaps FC 6–0 3–0 (A) 3–0 (H)Quarterfinals Violette 6–2 5–0 (H) 1–2 (A) Philadelphia Union 4–1 1–1 (A) 3–0 (H)Semifinals UANL 4–3 1–2 (A) 3–1 (H)

Format

The final will be played in a home-and-away two-legged series, with the team with the better performance in previous rounds hosting the second leg. Unlike in earlier rounds, away goals will not be a tiebreaker in the second leg. Instead, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into 15-minute periods) is played if the match is tied after regulation time; a sixth substitute is also permitted during extra time. Additional substitutions are permitted for players showing signs of a concussion or a traumatic head injury after up to three minutes of evaluation by a medical officer. If the score is still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 12.8).

Performance ranking

In the final, the finalist which has the better performances in previous rounds host the second leg.

Matches First leg Details

GK 30 Rodolfo Cota RB 3 Iván Moreno CB 21 Jaine Barreiro CB 22 Adonis Frías LB 6 William Tesillo (c) RM 13 Ángel Mena CM 26 Fidel AmbrízCM 29 Lucas Romero LM 19 Yairo Moreno CF 7 Víctor Dávila CF 20 Alfonso Alvarado Substitutes:GK 1 Alfonso BlancoGK 40 Óscar García DF 23 Byron CastilloDF 24 Osvaldo Rodríguez DF 25 Paul Bellón MF 8 José Iván Rodríguez MF 11 Elías Hernández MF 12 Joel Campbell MF 27 Jesús AnguloFW 15 Brian Rubio FW 18 Lucas Di Yorio Manager: Nicolás Larcamón GK 77 John McCarthyRB 24 Ryan Hollingshead CB 2 Denil Maldonado CB 33 Aaron Long LB 12 Diego PalaciosRM 11 Timothy Tillman CM 6 Ilie Sánchez LM 20 José Cifuentes RF 22 Kwadwo Opoku CF 10 Carlos Vela (c)LF 99 Dénis Bouanga Substitutes:GK 1 Eldin JakupovićDF 18 Erik Dueñas DF 30 Sergi Palencia DF 80 Julian GainesMF 17 Daniel CrisostomoMF 19 Mateusz Bogusz MF 23 Kellyn Acosta FW 7 Stipe Biuk FW 27 Nathan OrdazManager: Steve Cherundolo Assistant referees: Luis Aroldo Ventura (Guatemala) Humberto Panjoj (Guatemala) Fourth official: Mario Escobar (Guatemala) Video assistant referee: Drew Fischer (Canada) Assistant video assistant referees: Guillermo Pacheco Larios (Mexico)

Second leg Details

GK 77 John McCarthyRB 30 Sergi Palencia CB 3 Jesús David Murillo CB 14 Giorgio Chiellini CB 33 Aaron Long LB 12 Diego Palacios CM 6 Ilie Sánchez CM 23 Kellyn Acosta RF 10 Carlos Vela (c) CF 99 Dénis Bouanga LF 19 Mateusz Bogusz Substitutes:GK 1 Eldin JakupovićDF 2 Denil Maldonado DF 18 Erik Dueñas DF 24 Ryan Hollingshead DF 80 Julian GainesMF 11 Timothy Tillman MF 17 Daniel CrisostomoMF 20 José Cifuentes FW 7 Stipe Biuk FW 22 Kwadwo Opoku FW 27 Nathan OrdazManager: Steve Cherundolo GK 30 Rodolfo Cota RB 3 Iván Moreno CB 21 Jaine Barreiro CB 22 Adonis Frías LB 6 William Tesillo (c) DM 29 Lucas Romero RW 13 Ángel Mena AM 26 Fidel Ambríz LW 11 Elías Hernández CF 18 Lucas Di Yorio CF 7 Víctor Dávila Substitutes:GK 1 Alfonso BlancoGK 40 Óscar García DF 23 Byron CastilloDF 24 Osvaldo Rodríguez DF 25 Paul Bellón DF 34 Óscar Villa MF 8 José Iván Rodríguez MF 27 Jesús AnguloMF 28 David RamírezFW 12 Joel Campbell FW 15 Brian Rubio FW 20 Alfonso Alvarado Manager: Nicolás Larcamón

References

External links CONCACAF Champions League website