CCL Recap: LAFC makes history with comeback win over Mexico's Leon
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Feb 28, 2020
There will be four MLS teams in the Concacaf Champions League
quarterfinals.
They just won't be the four teams most experts would have predicted.
In its CCL debut, LAFC, the 2019 MLS Supporters' Shield winner, overcame a 2-0 deficit in
the first leg and beat Mexico's Leon, 3-0, to win the series, 3-2 on aggregate.
Late goals by Carlos Vela -- his second of the game -- and Diego Rossi -- with a chip from a
difficult angle -- completed the comeback for LAFC, the first MLS team to overcome a multi-goal deficit against a Mexican team in the knockout phase.
LAFC dominated the game, putting Leon
under constant pressure. Unlike most MLS teams that are very rusty at the beginning of the CCL, LAFC could rely on its group that took part in Olympic qualifying in South America: Colombians Eduard
Atuesta and Eddie Segura and Rossi, who represented Uruguay, all started in the second leg.
Feb. 27 in Los
Angeles
LAFC 3 Leon 0. Goals: Vela 27, 77, Rossi 79.
LAFC -- Vermeer, Jakovic, Palacios, Segura, Blackmon, Atuesta (Ginella 83), Blessing, Kaye, B.Rodriguez
(Perez 75), Vela, Rossi.
Leon -- Cota, Navarro, Gonzalez, Barreiro, Tesillo, Sosa, Meneses, J.Rodriguez, Montes, Aquino (Ramos 82), Godinez (Cardona 84)
Att.: 22,300.
Referee sucked!!!
The referee didn't play, "the teams did" though one could see that Leon was caught off guard and thought that LAFC would continue to wilt. Surprise, kittens!
In 1996 I was one of eight evaluators to start MLS. What a difference in talent 25 years later. One of our former players at LIU was there from the beginning. Giovanni Savarese got drafted by the New York Metrostars and he became one of the top scorers for them. Today he is a successful coach for the Portland Timbers. Two other coaches who were there from the beginning are Peter Vermes and Tabaré Ramos. They were both teammates of Giovanni with the Metrostars. Glad to see four MLS teams still alive in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The MLS has grown and the team's infrastructure has improved, however, if we talk about talented players or teams; I would put my 1999 LA Galaxy or my 2000 MetroStars on the same level of any MLS team of 2020.
Correction, 1998 LA Galaxy I meant to say, the 1999 LA Galaxy was pretty much the same team and just as good, coached by the late Sigi Schmidt, himself also a great coach.
Coach Zambrano, What are you doing now? Still coaching? I hope so.