At least one MLS team is guaranteed to make the 2023 Concacaf Champions League semifinals, and Tuesday’s quarterfinal leg-two matchup between LAFC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BMO Stadium will begin that inevitability.
How to watch and stream
- US: FS1, TUDN
- Canada: OneSoccer, TELUS Channel 980, Fubo TV
When
- Tuesday, April 11 | 10:15 pm ET/7:15 pm PT
Where
- BMO Stadium | Los Angeles, California
LAFC enter home confines with a 3-0 aggregate lead, hoping to finish the job in pursuit of continental silverware and a place at the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Both Western Conference clubs are looking to keep CCL silverware in MLS’s court after Seattle Sounders FC won the 2022 crown in historic fashion.
Whoever advances, there’s a possibility they’ll face another MLS team in the CCL semifinals come late April and early May. On the same side of the bracket, the Philadelphia Union hold a 1-0 aggregate lead over Liga MX’s Atlas FC before their quarterfinal leg-two meeting Wednesday in Mexico.
The defending MLS Cup presented by Audi and Supporters’ Shield champions are soaring, mostly thanks to Dénis Bouanga’s fantastic form. The DP forward is playing in a Landon Donovan MLS MVP mold, tallying five goals and two assists in LAFC’s last two games.
That run includes 2g/1a in a 3-0 leg-one win at Vancouver last Wednesday, then continued with 3g/0a in a 3-0 victory over Austin FC in league play this past Saturday. Bouanga has 11g/3a in nine games across all competitions this year, including a hat trick in LAFC’s CCL Round of 16 away leg at Costa Rica’s Alajuelense.
LAFC’s depth has impressed as well, with offseason signings like fullback Sergi Palencia, midfielder Timothy Tillman, winger Stipe Biuk and more all seamlessly fitting in. They’re also awaiting the debut of midfielder Mateusz Bogusz, who can continue a remarkable success rate in the transfer market.
Should LAFC advance, they’d move closer to a second CCL final appearance in four years. The club’s 2020 squad fell at that stage to Liga MX’s Tigres UANL, who are on the opposite end of this year’s bracket.
The Whitecaps are unbeaten (2W-0L-3D) in their last five league games, rebounding from two straight losses to open the year. But they have a mountain to surpass in CCL play, facing a 3-0 aggregate deficit where LAFC already have three away goals.
The simple math means Vancouver must score four goals to advance, but that total becomes five (and so on) if the Black & Gold get another tally – all due to the away goals rule. The possibility of penalty kicks also looms if the series remains knotted after two legs.
The biggest question probably is if Vancouver have enough firepower to overcome this deficit. Ryan Gauld is a perpetually underrated playmaker, while strikers Brian White and Simon Becher have proven productive (even if they’re not household names). Julian Gressel provides service at an elite level, too.
Vancouver, 2022 Canadian Championship winners, defeated Honduras’ Real España by a 7-3 aggregate scoreline in the Round of 16. They’ll need a similar offensive explosion to keep their CCL dream alive.
