LAFC got close and failed to change the history of their MLS predecessors in the CONCACAF Champions League (Concachampions), falling 2-1 to Tigres in the final of the regional tournament.
The Los Angeles club had been surprised by being the first team in the US league to eliminate three Mexican clubs in the same tournament, after beating León, Cruz Azul and América, but they were unable to beat Tigres in the title match.
“We are proud of the way we try to do things. We keep trying to grow as an institution, ”said Bob Bradley, LAFC coach. “It’s another of those evenings where we have to take our classes and that’s what I’m focusing on.
“It is difficult to immediately process what happened. We are very disappointed, for 70 minutes we complicated things (for Tigres), it was a very edited, difficult game, but we tried to put pressure and put the rhythm in the game, ”he added.
LAFC is an institution that was born in 2018 and before Tigres, it played the first final in its history and did so in an international tournament. Those coached by Bradley were worthy finalists by sticking to their idea of the game, making them a contender since their inception.
“I really love (LAFC), I love how Bradley trains and lets his team play,” said Ricardo “Tuca” Ferreti, Tigres technical director, after winning his first Concachampions in four tries. “He’s a great rival with high, low pressure, all over, a lot of intensity. Our team had a good response to come back ”.
LAFC took the lead in the 61st minute by a goal from Diego Rossi. Ironically, it was the first time in the entire knockout phase of the tournament that the Angelenos took the lead in a match. They had to come back against the Leo, Cruz Azul and América.
“We had a great opportunity to go 2-0 with Carlos Vela’s shot covering the defense, after which a misunderstanding between Eddie Segura and goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer gave up the corner kick from which the equalizer came,” explains Bradley. “Then, before the second goal, you could see that we started playing more carelessly in our game, specifying spaces. Pierre Andre Gignac is an excellent player, who searches for those moments and has found the goal ”.
Tigres found the comeback with a header from Hugo Ayala in minute 72, the product of a corner kick that gave up the LAFC defense due to a lack of communication. From then on, the cats grew in their game and the Angelenos became fuzzy.
At minute 84, a counterattack on the right wing of Luis “Chaka” Rodríguez, who handed the ball to Gignac outside the area. The French did not forgive to condemn the final with 2-1.
“Our team is growing, they have shown good things, a great mindset to play a final and unfortunately we ended in a disappointing way,” said Bradley.
Vela failed to win the first club-level championship of his career. In the first half, the Mexican suffered a large number of fouls, but the referee decided not to show team cards during the game, despite repeated kicks.
In addition, Guatemalan whistling Mario Escobar did not score a penalty against Tigres and an offside in Rossi’s goal that was only seen in the replay.
“Vela got badly fouled in the first half, he got a lot of hits, I’m not sure why when you have a player who has been attacked repeatedly you don’t feel the need to show a card,” Bradley said of the performance of the Central American referee.
LAFC joined Real Salt Lake, Montreal Impact and Toronto FC as the four representative teams of the MLS to play the CONCACAF Champions League Finals second to the Liga MX teams.
Tigres, for his part, will attend the Club World Cup to be held in Qatar from February 1 to 11, 2021.