Preview | LAFC vs. Alajuelense – Concacaf Champions Cup

🏟 | BMO Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

BMO Stadium opens its doorways to the world as soon as once more as LAFC, amid the most effective begin in membership historical past, welcomes LD Alajuelense to LA on Tuesday evening for the primary match of their two-sport, residence-and-away sequence within the Round of 16 of Concacaf Champions Cup.

LAFC is coming off a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas in MLS common-season play on Saturday evening during which the Black & Gold lengthen their franchise-file streak of 5 straight wins to begin a season – together with three in MLS play – behind a fifty fifth-minute wondergoal from David Martínez.

Now the membership should shift again to the cutthroat world of Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC), probably the most prestigious trophy within the area, which is chased by the highest 27 golf equipment in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, all doing battle over 4 rounds to achieve the CCC Final on May 30, 2026.

Costa Rican membership Alajuelense – often known as The Lions (The Lions) or purple and black (Red-and-Blacks) – is without doubt one of the most profitable golf equipment in Central America, and faces LAFC in CCC play for the second time in historical past.

In 2023, LAFC superior previous Alajuelense 4-2 on combination to advance to the CCC Quarterfinals. That journey started three years in the past this week, when LAFC’s Denis Bouanga scored his first profession hat trick for the Black & Gold, main LAFC to a 3-0 win over Alajuelense within the first leg in Costa Rica.

Alajuelense outscored LAFC 2-1 in Los Angeles every week later however the Black & Gold held its combination-aim edge and moved on to face Vancouver within the 2023 CCC Quarterfinal. LAFC defeated the Whitecaps 6-0 on combination, then received previous Philadelphia Union (4-1 agg.) to fulfill Club Leon of Liga MX within the Final, the place LAFC’s run lastly ended, 3-1. It was LAFC’s second journey to the CCC Final.

“It would be a great story to win Concacaf for the first time,” mentioned midfielder Timmy Tillman, who performed in each matches in opposition to Alajuelense in ’23, “but I think we just have to focus on every single game. It’s going to happen step by step. We can’t think of the Final before we’re playing the Round of 16.”

These two golf equipment will meet once more subsequent week in Costa Rica for the second leg, with the winner on combination targets advancing to a Quarterfinal matchup in opposition to the winner of the Round of 16 sequence between Cruz Azul and Monterrey. To get there, LAFC should carry out nicely at residence on Tuesday, and go once more subsequent Tuesday at Alajuelense’s infamous Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, with its 19,000 capability and synthetic turf.

“The first game is in LA, the second game is in Costa Rica,” Dos Santos mentioned, “so we have to take care of the first leg in the best way possible to put us in a position to go to a very difficult place. We know the atmosphere in Costa Rica, so we’re going into a difficult place, so we have to set up ourselves in the right way to succeed.”

Alajuelense performs within the Liga Promerica (often known as the Costa Rican Primera División), which is the highest-tier soccer league in Costa Rica. Currently, Rojinegros are in sixth place within the league’s Clausura desk with a file of 4W-4L-3D, with 14 targets scored and 12 conceded.

Alajuelense certified for Concacaf Champions Cup because the 2025 Concacaf Central American Cup winners, which earned them a Round One bye on this 12 months’s CCC.

MLSSoccer.com reviews that Alajuelense’s squad “includes MLS alums like left back Ronald Matarrita, midfielder Alejandro Bran and striker Ronaldo Cisneros. Alajuelense are one of two non-MLS or LIGA MX teams left in the competition, alongside 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup winner Mount Pleasant (Jamaica).”

Hugo Lloris, who has awarded a single aim in 360 minutes throughout all competitions this 12 months, mentioned: “It’s a Champions Cup game, you know, it doesn’t matter who you are facing. You have to be at the level of the competition. It’s about details as well… and putting us in a good position for the second leg.”

It ignores the optimistic headlines about its 5-sport unbeaten run and focuses on the 90 minutes in opposition to its Costa Rican guests. “I don’t think anybody in the locker room is thinking about the past games,” Dos Santos mentioned, “we’re eager about this sport arising. Every sport has a unique story. Alajuelense is a crew, final time we performed them at residence we did not win [in 2023]. We misplaced the sport. We know it is a difficult crew. ”

It leaves Los Angeles with a draw or a one-aim deficit. Currently ranked twenty ninth in Concacaf, Alajuelense is the very best ranked non-MLS and non-Mexican crew on this competitors. Not solely does Alajuelense belong, they’re a harmful membership that has been on this competitors 29 occasions. Alajuelense is aware of that returning residence with a decent combination rating line in opposition to their northern opponents provides them an opportunity to stun the area, thrill their residence followers, and transfer on to the subsequent spherical.