LAFC heads to Puebla, Mexico, on Tuesday with a 3-0 cushion and a clear path to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals when it meets Cruz Azul in the second leg of their quarterfinal series.
A win or a draw sends LAFC through, and even losses by 0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 1-3 or 1-4 would still be enough. Only a 3-0 Cruz Azul win would force two 15-minute periods of extra time and, if needed, penalties. The victor moves on to face the winner of the Toluca-Galaxy quarterfinal, with Toluca holding a 4-2 lead after the first leg and the return match set for Wednesday night, April 15, in Carson, California.
LAFC built that advantage last Tuesday at BMO Stadium, where Son Heung-Min scored in the 30th minute and David Martínez added goals in the 39th and 58th minutes. Mathieu Choinière set up two of the goals. Roughly half the crowd wore Cruz Azul colors, a reminder that this tie has already carried the feel of a road match before LAFC even left Los Angeles.
The numbers behind the run are strong. LAFC has scored in nine consecutive away matches in the Concacaf Champions Cup, matching the longest such streak by an MLS club in the modern era since 2008. In five Concacaf Champions Cup matches in 2026, LAFC is 4W-0L-1D and has outscored opponents 13-3. Across all competitions this year, it has eight clean sheets in 12 matches.
The bigger prize extends beyond this week. The Concacaf Champions Cup is a 27-team tournament played from February through May, and the final is set for May 30, when the winner earns a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029. LAFC would reach the semifinals for the third time in club history with a result in Puebla, while Cruz Azul, the defending Concacaf Champions Cup champion, is trying to erase a first-leg deficit and keep its title defense alive.
The return of Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier in the first leg was not enough to slow LAFC down. This leg asks a different question: whether the defending champion can create the three-goal margin it needs, or whether LAFC’s traveling form and early advantage are enough to carry it into another deep run.
