After putting on a show in the thumping of Orlando City in their return from international break, LAFC are back in the thick of the schedule with midweek Champions Cup action. A familiar foe returns to Los Angeles, as Cruz Azul visit for leg one of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. This will be the second time these two clubs meet in the competition, with LAFC having eliminated the Mexican side from the 2020 tournament in the quarterfinals. This time, it wont be single-elimination, and it will take consistency to get past the tough Cruz Azul side, and into the semifinals as they get closer to a chance at some early silverware.
Matchday: #LAFCvCAZ
⏰ 7:00 PM PST
🖥️ FS2 & TUDN
🎧 @ESPNLosAngeles & K-Radio 1230 pic.twitter.com/rh6dLXVMtS— LAFC (@LAFC) April 7, 2026
Cruz Azul currently sit second in the table for Liga MX Clausura and while their form as of late hasn’t been bad, it definitely isn’t as great as it had been earlier in the year. After a recent stretch that saw them stack seven wins in a row, seemingly scoring at will, they have cooled off slightly, having drawn three in a row before a loss in their last four matches. That said, something about LAFC and playing in Los Angeles, typically brings out the best in the larger Liga MX clubs and Cruz Azul will undoubtedly be looking for some get back after 2020. Midfielders José Paradela and Carlos Rodríguez will be ones to keep tabs on as they aren’t the typical middle of the pitch players, and tend to go up in attack. Between the two they gave eight total goals and two assists, so keeping them in check will go a long way to getting the result at home.
LAFC come into this one fresh off one of the most impressive and dominating wins in club history at the weekend. A 6-0 thrashing of Orlando City that saw Heung-Min Son come away with four assists, Denis Bouanga secure a first half hat trick, and a first half that saw the team score five goals. It could’ve been so much worse had head coach Marc Dos Santos not made the right decision and pulled Son and Bouanga out of the match early to get them some rest ahead of tonight. It must be said though, while LAFC have been in dominant form in MLS play, they have struggled slightly in Champions Cup action as of late, making this first leg at home really important for the series as a whole. The last thing you want to do is go into the second leg in Mexico either down, drawn, or hanging on to a slim advantage. Not to mention, away goals are still a thing in this tournament, so keeping a clean sheet will be just as important tonight.
How To Watch
Two heavyweights take center stage tonight with kickoff set for 7pm PST from BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The match will be broadcast live and can be watched on FS2 as well as TUDN. The match can also be streamed on Coupang Play (Korea)as well as SpoTV (Korea). The match will also be available on radio broadcast on 710 AM Los Angeles, 980 AM La Mera Mera for Spanish broadcasting, and KYPA 1230 AM for Korean broadcasting.
Thoughts ahead of the quarterfinal first leg against Cruz Azul? Drop a comment below!