LAFC
LAFC striker Carlos Vela: “I want to make history”
The Mexican striker spoke about how important it will be to get a good first leg result against Club León in the Concachampions final.
Los Angeles FC travel to Guanajuato to face Club León on Wednesday in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League. The MLS side are aware of the traditional difficulties of playing in Mexico and recall their first trip to face León in 2020 when they fell by a 2-0 scoreline in the first leg of the Concacaf CL round of 16.
“In the end it doesn’t matter because it’s a different tournament,” LAFC striker Carlos Vela stated. “In the end, the same players are not there, but those of us who were know how difficult it was to play in León and get the result. We could easily have lost 3 or 4 nil and not been able to come back in Los Angeles. That game was our first game of the year and now we’re in the middle of the season, so we’re in different physical condition.
“That will make a big difference. I think it just has to be us and the most important thing is to play with confidence and with the mentality of getting a good result. Of course we have to be smart because we have another game and not make mistakes that could make it impossible for us to come back at home”, added the Mexican.
On the cusp of history
The Mexican striker helped LAFC come from behind in the second leg and defeated Club León 3-0 to advance to the next round. Vela is one of the few players who played in that tournament and lost in the final to Tigres.
“All tournaments mean a lot because I want to make history,” said the LAFC forward. “I want to win trophies and when you are close to giving this club another title it means a lot. The tournament doesn’t matter, for me the only thing that matters is winning trophies. I want to help this team achieve things. We are in the final and we will fight to secure the win”.
The first leg of the CCL final takes place at Camp Nou (León) on 31 May with the second leg set for the following Sunday in Los Angeles.