Los Angeles Football Club defeated Philadelphia Union 3-0 on Tuesday evening of May 2nd, 2023 at BMO Stadium in downtown Los Angeles, California. That victory for LAFC combined with the first leg 1-1 tie between the two Major League Soccer teams on April 26th, 2023 secured the Los Angeles team a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League Final against Club Leon of the Mexican Liga BBVA MX. Leon beat Tigres UANL in the other leg of the tournament’s semifinal round by an aggregate score of 4-3.

The Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League is an annual tournament that involves North American, Central American, and Caribbean teams. The winner of the tournament qualifies for the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament is a 16-team knock-out format.

LAFC’s Tuesday night goals were scored by the German Timothy Tillman, the Ghanian Kwadwo Opoku, and the French Denis Bounanga. The American Kellyn Acosta scored for LAFC in the first leg of the round while the Hungarian scored a Philadelphia Union’s lone goal in the round during that game. The varied nationalities of these players demonstrate the ascension of MLS in general and LAFC in particular in international competition and markets.

Club Leon will host the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final on Wednesday, May 31st, 2023 at Estadio Leon in Leon, Mexico. LAFC will host the second leg Sunday, June 4th, 2023 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. As a Chicano writer, the Mexican and American teams competing for the championship is a celebration of my culture on both sides of the Rio Grande.

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