After the big win at home in the first leg, LAFC have one foot in the door of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals, needing a solid performance tonight in the second leg against Cruz Azul to officially stamp their ticket. It wont be easy, not only will they deal with the altitude that comes with playing in Mexico, but they are up against a Liga MX side that is going to throw the kitchen sink at them, and then some, as they look to overcome the big deficit.
Matchday: #CAZvLAFC
⏰ 6:00 PM PT
🖥️ FS1 & TUDN
🎧 @ESPNLosAngeles & K-Radio 1230 pic.twitter.com/LcXasbu4H9— LAFC (@LAFC) April 14, 2026
Cruz Azul has hit a wall in a major way. After going on a serious run of wins, they haven’t tasted victory in six matches now, with four draws and two losses. One of those losses, the 3-0 stunner in Los Angeles that sees them going back to Mexico with a major hill to climb if they want to get into the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. They will come into this match with a whiff of desperation and anger on their hearts, as they hope to overcome the three goal deficit. However, they wont be the only team coming into this match with a chip on their shoulder and looking to get back to winning ways.
After a record MLS clean sheet start, and an unbeaten run of 11 matches, that all came crashing down the last time LAFC took the pitch. In complete fairness to them, they went into that match resting a handful of key starters, and while the youngsters and rotated squad did really well, it wasn’t enough to keep a clean sheet or come away with the result in Portland, as. the Timbers were the first to hand Los Angeles their first loss of the 2026 campaign. Now, the team come into Mexico, rested for this very match, up three goals, and looking to slam the door shut on any hopes of a comeback. What’s even better from their perspective, they did keep a clean sheet in the first leg, meaning they are in full control of this series as Cruz Azul won’t have any away goal tiebreaker to lean on in this second leg. This should be a straightforward match for LAFC, that should see them cross the line and get into the semifinals, but as we have learned in this sport, nothing is ever as straightforward as it’s supposed to be. They will need to be focused and playing to win, rather than playing not to lose, if they want to really make a statement to close out quarterfinals.
How To Watch
Securing their spot in the next round should be a given, considering the core of the starters will be rested and ready after their match off at the weekend. Now, they face the tough Mexican atmosphere with kickoff set for 6pm PST from Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, Mexico. The match will be broadcast live and can be watched on FS1 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 heading into the closeout match against Cruz Azul? Drop us a comment below!