Photos courtesy of CONCACAF.
Carlos Vela once again delivered for LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions League.
It was one thing to come back from a two goal deficit to beat Leon in the Round of 16.
It was another thing to come from behind against Cruz Azul in a single-elimination match in the quarterfinals.
But coming from behind to beat Club America, one of the most popular, one of the most well-funded, and certainly one of the most successful clubs on the continent, in the semifinals, especially after one of your most influential players gets sent off in controversial fashion.
To say it would raise some eyebrows would be an understatement.
Call it whatever you want, but for LAFC, it means two things; a win and advancement. It’s a win that now leaves them on the cusp of history. LAFC rallied from another deficit against a Liga MX squad with three unanswered goals in the second half, and LAFC reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions League with the upset of powerful Club America 3-1 in Orlando’s Exploria Stadium on Saturday night.
“I think we’ve learned from some of the moments that slipped away from us,” LAFC head coach Bob Bradley, “and tonight you could see the concentration on so many guys – guys in the back moving out, organizing, winning balls and still finding moments to play. You’ve got to develop that mentality, you’ve got to sometimes suffer a little bit and we have. So to be in a final is really special.”
Carlos Vela once again led the way for LAFC, as caught America off guard with two goals inside the first two minutes of the first half. Regardless of how Tuesday’s final goes, LAFC has already made history by eliminating three straight Liga MX teams in the same tournament, with a chance for a fourth straight win against Tigres UNAL, which compared to America, Cruz Azul and Leon, would seem like a walk in the park, but that certainly won’t lessen the pressure of trying to become the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League.
“I think you see a more compact team, more committed, where we all run, where we all play,” Midfielder Jose Cifuentes said. “So we’re giving everything for our objectives and we learned from the games we lost.”
America got off to the quick start in the 11th minute. Sebastian Cordova sent a corner kick into the penalty area and Sebastian Caceres’ header just snuck into the inside net at the far post to stake Club America to the lead.
And then the fireworks began towards the end of the half, and Eduard Atuesta found himself in the middle of it. It started when Atuesta exchanged shoves with Federico Vinas, earning both players a yellow card. Shortly after, Vela sent a free kick into the penalty area, Atuesta came in to attempt a shot, America’s Richard Sanchez tried to clear the ball, ended up kicking Atuesta in the chest inside the penalty area, but amazingly, and certainly to the disgust of LAFC, no penalty was given.
That was not the end of it however. After the play, Atuesta exchanged words with Keeper Guillermo Ochoa, and the words exchanged between the two were apparently enough that Atuesta shoved Ochoa to the ground and another scrum ensued. When all was finally sorted out, Atuesta was sent off with the red card. The first half finally ended, but the tensions continued, as Bradley exchanged words with Luis Reyes and the two sides had to get between the two.
Photo courtesy of CONCACAF.
Extracurricular activity was definitely on display between LAFC and Club America on Saturday night.
Trailing at the half against a Liga MX side in a CONCACAF Champions League match and having to play the remaining 45 minutes a man down would’ve demoralized most teams, let alone an MLS team. Instead, LAFC used it as a rallying cry in a big way. Vela got things going for LAFC with an alert play, as Caceres lazily played a ball towards Ramon Juarez, but Vela intercepted the pass, dribbled into the penalty area, fired a shot for the far post, the ball got past Ochoa and off a scrambling Caceres into the back net for a Vela-credited equalizer.
Vela then gave LAFC the lead nearly as quick as he had equalized. Vela was sprung by Eddie Segura, who sent the prefect long ball over the America backline, Vela again dribbled into the penalty area, fired a shot almost from the same exact spot as where he scored his first goal, and the result was the same minus the failed emergency defending from Caceres, as Vela’s shot beat Ochoa far post, and just like that, LAFC found themselves ahead in he match.
“I’ve said it a few times, Carlos, it’s special for him to play these teams,” Bradley said. “And it also comes in a year where obviously with different important family responsibilities and then an MCL injury.
“He missed a lot, so you can tell that at the end of this year, how much it means to him and when that comes across all the other players, that’s obviously a special kind of leadership. And then he backs it up on the field. I mean not only with the two goals, but late in the game, his ability to run with the ball forward, get into the corner, take a foul, do all the little things that help you manage a difficult game.”
Karma further caught up to America in the 79th minute when Luis Reyes went studs up on a tackle and he ended up getting Diego Rossi’s right foot. The tackle got Reyes his second yellow, ending his night and thus evened the match to a 10 vs. 10. Oddly enough, America manager Miguel Herrera had been red-carded during the halftime, yet was still allowed to sit close enough to his team’s bench at the start of the half, though he was eventually moved to another part of the stadium. Latiff Blessing put the icing on the cake on LAFC’s landmark win, as he scored on a rebound attempt on the break in stoppage time.
