Can Cruz Azul come back against LAFC? They have a track record for turnarounds...
Against Los Angeles FC on Tuesday, Cruz Azul must overcome a major first-leg deficit in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
After dropping the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals against Los Angeles FC, Cruz Azul now faces the daunting task of mounting a comeback from a significant deficit - difficult, but far from impossible.
A look back over Cruz Azul’s memorable knockout fightbacks
One comeback that still looms large in the club’s recent history came in the 2001 Copa Libertadores, when Cruz Azul returned from Paraguay trailing 2-1 after the first leg against Cerro Porteño. In the return match, La Máquina delivered a 3-1 victory to turn the series around.
Another memorable turnaround arrived in the 2009/10 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League. In the semifinals, Cruz Azul lost the first leg to Pumas by the slimmest of margins. Back at the Estadio Azul, the Celestes produced a dominant 5-0 rout of Los Auriazules to book their place in the final.
More recently, in the Liga MX’s Apertura 2024 tournament, under head coach Martín Anselmi, Cruz Azul fell 3-0 away to Tijuana in the first leg of the quarterfinals. In the return leg, back on home turf, Los Celestes responded with a 3-0 win of their own, advancing on the strength of their higher position in the regular-season standings.
Each Cruz Azul turnaround has one thing in common...
In every comeback staged by Cruz Azul, the Liga MX giants have gone on to reach the final of the tournaments they were competing in - though in every case, they ultimately came up short in the decisive match.
Cruz Azul vs Los Angeles FC: kickoff times, how to watch
Trailing 3-0, Cruz Azul hosts LAFC in the second leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday, April 15, with kickoff at Estadio Cuauhtémoc scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the game on Fox Sports 1, Fox One, fubo, TUDN USA and ViX. You’ll also be able to follow live-text commentary of the game at AS USA: Dane Arlauckas will be talking you through all the action in Mexico.
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