How and where to watch LAFC vs Toluca first leg of Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal 

Two of the most entertaining teams in this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup face off in a semifinal that is sure to bring plenty of fireworks over the two legs. It´s the MLS’s LAFC taking on Liga MX’s Toluca for a spot in the final and it should be a high scoring, high octane affair from the first minute until the last.

LAFC recap

LAFC are back in the semis looking for a return trip to the final. They have made just four appearances in this tournament in their brief history, but every time they qualify for the CCC they make noise. They have been to the quarterfinals or farther every time they have participated in the competition, and on two of those occasions they made it to the final. This year, they won’t just be looking to make the final, they will be hoping to win their first Concacaf Champions Cup.

The road to the semis hasn’t been an easy one for LAFC. Their opening round tie against Real Espana was the easiest of the tests. They beat the Honduran side with a 7-1 aggregate over a two legged tie, but then they took on Costa Rican side Alajuelense in the round of 16. A 1-1 draw in Costa Rica left everything to play for in the final 90 and it looked like LAFC was heading to extra time in the second leg with a 1-1 scoreline heading into stoppage time. David Martinez scored a stoppage time winner to advance his side to the quarters where they met seven time CCC champs Cruz Azul. The won the first leg 3-0 at home and settled for a 1-1 draw to book their ticket to the semis.

LAFC had a fantastic start to their MLS campaign, but have went on a bit of a slide after their second leg against Cruz Azul. The CCC run to the semis might be affecting their domestic form, but Denis Bouanga, Son Heung-Min and David Martinez will be looking to keep the good run going in the CCC, especially in this first leg at home. Bouanga has 5 goals in the Cup, while Martinez has 4 and Son has 2 goals and 4 assists.

Toluca recap

The Liga MX side are looking for CCC title number three, but it’s been a long wait for the Red Devils who are closer than they have been in quite some time. They haven’t been to a CCC final in over a decade and and their last two appearances in the title match have ended in heart break in 2006 and 2013-14. The last time they won the cup was in 2003, and before that came in the fourth edition of the tournament back in 1968.

The run to the semis hasn’t been an easy one for Toluca despite a first round bye that kept them from having to play an extra two matches. They lost their opening leg of the round of 16 to San Diego FC, 3-2, and had to battle back in the final 90 minutes from the Estadio Nemesio Diez. A 4-0 win over San Diego FC was more than enough to advance to the quarterfinals where they met the LA Galaxy. A 4-2 win at home set up a scenario where they could have gone into LA and defended but they went after the match, scoring an early goal in the first 10 minutes which essentially buried the Galaxy. They would end the quarters with a 7-2 aggregate and roll into the semis as the most in form team of any left in the final four.

After finishing first in the Apertura and then winning the Apertura playoffs in December, Toluca are in the hunt again as we close out the Clausura. They are heading into the playoffs in fifth place after finishing 8-6-3, six points behind Puma and Chivas in first place. It´s all about Paulinho for the Mexican side. He scored 5 goals in the quarterfinals against the Galaxy and is tied with Gabriel Pec as the top scorer in the competition with 6 goals to his name. Helinho and Jesus Gallardo are a couple of other names to watch out for tonight in Los Angeles.

How and where to watch

This is just the first of two legs which will determine who is moving on to the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup. The second leg will be played next Tuesday from the Estadio Nemesio Diez. The winner of this tie will play the winner of the Nashville SC-Tigres UANL semifinal that is heading to Mexico 1-0 in favor of Tigres after 90 minutes in Nashville.

How

English: FS1

Spanish: TUDN

When

Wednesday, April 29 | 10:30 pm ET/7:30 pm PT

Where

BMO Stadium | Los Angeles, California

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