Latest news with #CONCACAFChampionsLeague
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
LAFC Book Spot In FIFA Club World Cup With 3-2 Win Over Club America
Last Updated: Denis Bouanga scored an extra-time winner to secure LAFC's 3-2 win over Club America, earning them a spot in the Club World Cup. Denis Bouanga scored a dramatic extra-time winner, propelling Los Angeles FC into the Club World Cup with a 3-2 (a.e.t.) victory over Mexico's Club América on Saturday. Club América, from Mexico City, seemed poised to secure their spot in the tournament and the guaranteed $9.5 million participation reward after a 64th-minute penalty by former LAFC player Brian Rodríguez. However, LAFC's Brazilian player Igor Jesus headed in an equaliser in the 89th minute, forcing the game into extra time. Five minutes before the end of the second extra-time period, Bouanga delivered the decisive goal. The high-stakes match was played in front of an enthusiastic crowd divided between the two teams, with palpable tension from the start. Despite only joining MLS seven years ago, LAFC triumphed, earning a place in the inaugural 32-team FIFA tournament. LAFC will compete in Group D of the Club World Cup, facing Chelsea, Brazil's Flamengo, and Espérance de Tunis of Tunisia. The tournament kicks off on June 14. This one-off 'play-in' match occurred following FIFA's decision to ban Mexican club León from the tournament due to ownership conflicts with Grupo Pachuca, which also controls Liga MX side Pachuca, another tournament participant. LAFC was given the opportunity based on their second-place finish to León in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League. Club América, founded 108 years ago, was included due to being the 'top-ranked team" in confederation rankings. Though LAFC had the nominal home advantage at their BMO Stadium, California hosts many Club América fans, making the venue effectively neutral. The electric atmosphere saw few first-half chances, with the Mexican team enjoying better possession but rarely troubling LAFC's former France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. The introduction of former France and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud in the 74th minute proved decisive. Giroud's presence troubled América's defence, and his improvised shot and subsequent header forced saves from Club América keeper Luis Malagón. In the final minute of regular time, LAFC found a lifeline as Bouanga's corner was met with a powerful header from Jesus. LAFC nearly won in regulation, but Malagón made a brilliant save to deny Timothy Tillman's cross-shot. With penalties looming in extra time, Frankie Amaya fed a ball to Giroud, who laid it off to the on-rushing Bouanga. His fierce shot deflected past the helpless Malagón. Bouanga, the France-born Gabon international, has scored 80 goals for LAFC in all competitions since joining from Saint-Étienne in 2022, but none more valuable than this one. This win ensures that the host nation will have three Major League Soccer teams in the tournament, with the Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami already participating. The tournament concludes on July 13 with a final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the winner will take home over $100 million. First Published: June 01, 2025, 12:22 IST
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cruz Azul vs. Whitecaps FC: How to watch the CONCACAF Champions Cup final
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we believe in. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Ranko Veselinovic and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC will play Cruz Azul at the CONCACAF Champions Cup final this weekend, here's how to watch. (Simon Fearn-Imagn Images) Four months of competition between some of North and Central America's best soccer teams will culminate this weekend at the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. The tournament started back in February with 27 teams, 18 from North America, six from Central America and three from the Caribbean, playing in knockout rounds to advance. This final match, between LIGA MX team Cruz Azul and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS) will take place on Sunday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET in Mexico City. Here's how you can tune in to Cruz Azul vs. Whitecaps FC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. How to watch the Cruz Azul vs. Whitecaps FC CONCACAF Champions Cup final: Date: Sunday, June 1, 2025 Advertisement Time: 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT TV channel: FS1 Streaming: Fubo, DirecTV, Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, ViX (in Spanish) What channel is the Cruz Azul vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC game on? The CONCACAF Champions Cup final between Cruz Azul and Whitecaps FC will be broadcast live on FS1. Where to stream the Cruz Azul vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC game: You can tune into FS1 on streaming platforms like Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV. Watch CONCACAF soccer on FS1 and FS2 Fubo TV Fubo TV gives you access to FS1, FS2 and 100+ more live channels. Starting at $85/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely a big investment for sports fans but it's one of the most comprehensive ways to catch events like the CONCACAF Champions League and many others all year-round, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage. Right now you can get $25 off your first month of any Fubo tier. And you can try all this free, too! Try free at Fubo Watch CONCACAF soccer on FS1 and FS2 DirecTV DIRECTV has the channels you need to watch hundreds of live sporting events including the CONCACAF Champions League. With access to the CW, Fox, FS2 & 40+ regional sports networks, it's one of the most comprehensive places to watch sports. After a free trial, packages start at $59.99 for your first month. Try free at DirecTV Other ways to watch CONCACAF Soccer without cable:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hernández: 'We know what's at stake': LAFC braces for shot at Club World Cup
Forward Denis Bouanga and LAFC need to beat Club America on Saturday at Banc of California Stadium to earn a spot in the Club World Cup this summer, which is worth at $9.55 million qualifying prize. (Shaun Clark / Getty Images) LAFC has won an MLS Cup and played in two CONCACAF Champions League finals. None of those games were worth as much as the team's upcoming match. Literally. Next up for LAFC is the $10-Million Game, in which it will play Mexico's Club América on Saturday at Banc of California to determine the final entrant in the Club World Cup. The 32-team tournament, which will be staged across the United States from mid-June to mid-July, has a record-breaking billion-dollar prize pool. Advertisement By simply qualifying for the event and playing in three group-stage matches, LAFC would be entitled to a participation fee of $9.55 million. That might not be considered a significant prize for the Dodgers or Lakers, but it's a major bounty for LAFC, which had a payroll of about $20 million last season. Read more: LAFC star Carlos Vela retires and becomes first club ambassador 'We know what's at stake,' LAFC co-president John Thorrington said. Imagine that, a Major League Soccer team playing a game with real consequences. The stakes are unusually high for a team in a league in which 18 of 30 teams reach the postseason and the threat of relegation is non-existent. Advertisement Real money will be on the line. That's money that could go toward covering the transfer fee or salary of the team's next signature player, as one of LAFC's three designated-player slots could open this summer. Thorrington preferred to emphasize the symbolic importance of LAFC reaching the Club World Cup, how it would move the team one step closer to its long-stated ambition of becoming a global brand. 'The conversation here is not dominated by the financial benefit here, but rather the competitive opportunity that this game and the tournament present,' Thorrington said. If LAFC advances to the Club World Cup, its opening game will be against Chelsea of the English Premier League. The other group-stage games would be against ES Tunis of Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil. Advertisement 'I think it would be something special,' defender Eddie Segura said in Spanish. The tournament could also be a wake-up call for MLS, which has two other teams in the competition in Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders. The league has a salary cap, as well as paint-by-numbers roster compliance rules that permit minimal flexibility on how its teams can spend money. Soccer is a sport in which teams are only as good as their weakest links, but the regulations force clubs to construct top-heavy rosters. Read more: Olivier Giroud and Mark Delgado help LAFC salvage draw with Montreal As it was, the financial restrictions were already handicapping MLS teams in its competitions against its Mexican counterparts, with LAFC relying on its smarts instead of the economic might of its deep-pocketed owners to reach two Champions League finals. Now, MLS teams will be taking on opponents with virtually unlimited budgets. Just two years ago, Chelsea spent more than a billion dollars buying players in a single transfer window. Advertisement The Club World Cup's cash prizes offer MLS a powerful incentive to loosen its rules. Group-stage wins are worth $2 million each. Teams will be paid $7.5 million for reaching the round of 16. The champion will take home more than $100 million. The payouts could also force MLS to make changes to its collective bargaining agreement, which was signed when the Club World Cup was still a seven-team tournament. Under the current CBA, LAFC's players would divide $1 million, with the remainder of the $9.55 million participation fee staying with the club. Segura said the players are engaged in talks over their compensation. 'The club would benefit a lot, but I hope that we as players, as the ones who are there giving everything, will also have a chance to benefit,' Segura said. Advertisement The upcoming game has also offered LAFC a firsthand view of FIFA's operations. LAFC's and Club América's opportunity came at the expense of León, which was removed from the Club World Cup field because it was owned by the same group that owned another Mexican team in the tournament, Pachuca. León qualified for the tournament by defeating LAFC in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final. Rather than award León's place to LAFC, FIFA basically invented a play-in game out of thin air, calling on LAFC to take on Club América, which was the region's highest-ranked team that wasn't already in the tournament. LAFC was at least granted a chance. The Galaxy won the MLS Cup last season, but Inter Miami received the place reserved for the host nation before the MLS playoffs even started. The purported reason was that Inter Miami had the league's best regular-season record. However, the widespread suspicion was that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi in the tournament. Advertisement After all, money is what is driving this tournament and money is what is driving the sport. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘We know what's at stake': LAFC braces for shot at Club World Cup
LAFC has won an MLS Cup and played in two CONCACAF Champions League finals. None of those games were worth as much as the team's upcoming match. Literally. Next up for LAFC is the $10-Million Game, in which it will play Mexico's Club América on Saturday at Banc of California to determine the final entrant in the Club World Cup. The 32-team tournament, which will be staged across the United States from mid-June to mid-July, has a record-breaking billion-dollar prize pool. By simply qualifying for the event and playing in three group-stage matches, LAFC would be entitled to a participation fee of $9.55 million. That might not be considered a significant prize for the Dodgers or Lakers, but it's a major bounty for LAFC, which had a payroll of about $20 million last season. 'We know what's at stake,' LAFC co-president John Thorrington said. Imagine that, a Major League Soccer team playing a game with real consequences. The stakes are unusually high for a team in a league in which 18 of 30 teams reach the postseason and the threat of relegation is non-existent. Real money will be on the line. That's money that could go toward covering the transfer fee or salary of the team's next signature player, as one of LAFC's three designated-player slots could open this summer. Thorrington preferred to emphasize the symbolic importance of LAFC reaching the Club World Cup, how it would move the team one step closer to its long-stated ambition of becoming a global brand. 'The conversation here is not dominated by the financial benefit here, but rather the competitive opportunity that this game and the tournament present,' Thorrington said. If LAFC advances to the Club World Cup, its opening game will be against Chelsea of the English Premier League. The other group-stage games would be against ES Tunis of Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil. 'I think it would be something special,' defender Eddie Segura said in Spanish. The tournament could also be a wake-up call for MLS, which has two other teams in the competition in Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders. The league has a salary cap, as well as paint-by-numbers roster compliance rules that permit minimal flexibility on how its teams can spend money. Soccer is a sport in which teams are only as good as their weakest links, but the regulations force clubs to construct top-heavy rosters. As it was, the financial restrictions were already handicapping MLS teams in its competitions against its Mexican counterparts, with LAFC relying on its smarts instead of the economic might of its deep-pocketed owners to reach two Champions League finals. Now, MLS teams will be taking on opponents with virtually unlimited budgets. Just two years ago, Chelsea spent more than a billion dollars buying players in a single transfer window. The Club World Cup's cash prizes offer MLS a powerful incentive to loosen its rules. Group-stage wins are worth $2 million each. Teams will be paid $7.5 million for reaching the round of 16. The champion will take home more than $100 million. The payouts could also force MLS to make changes to its collective bargaining agreement, which was signed when the Club World Cup was still a seven-team tournament. Under the current CBA, LAFC's players would divide $1 million, with the remainder of the $9.55 million participation fee staying with the club. Segura said the players are engaged in talks over their compensation. 'The club would benefit a lot, but I hope that we as players, as the ones who are there giving everything, will also have a chance to benefit,' Segura said. The upcoming game has also offered LAFC a firsthand view of FIFA's operations. LAFC's and Club América's opportunity came at the expense of León, which was removed from the Club World Cup field because it was owned by the same group that owned another Mexican team in the tournament, Pachuca. León qualified for the tournament by defeating LAFC in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final. Rather than award León's place to LAFC, FIFA basically invented a play-in game out of thin air, calling on LAFC to take on Club América, which was the region's highest-ranked team that wasn't already in the tournament. LAFC was at least granted a chance. The Galaxy won the MLS Cup last season, but Inter Miami received the place reserved for the host nation before the MLS playoffs even started. The purported reason was that Inter Miami had the league's best regular-season record. However, the widespread suspicion was that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi in the tournament. After all, money is what is driving this tournament and money is what is driving the sport.
See - Sada Elbalad
16-05-2025
- Sport
- See - Sada Elbalad
LAFC to Face Club America for Final 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Spot on May 31
Rana Atef On Friday, FIFA announced that Los Angeles FC and Club America will play their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup qualifying playoff match on May 31st at the BMO Stadium. The winner will qualify for the final seat at the 32-club world tournament after the rejection of Mexico's Leon to participate at the tournament. Club Leon were eliminated from the tournament due to an ownership rule breach. The Mexican club also had their appeal rejected at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. FIFA said that Club Leon and Pachuca did not meet regulations on multi-club ownership. However, Pachuca's spot in the June 14th-July 13th tournament was unaffected. Los Angeles FC were runners-up to Club Leon in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, while Club America were the top-ranked team in the Club World Cup confederation ranking at the end of the Champions Cup staged in 2024. read more Japan Stun Spain 2-1 to Qualify for World Cup Last 16 World Cup 2022: Get to Know Confirmed Line-ups of Japan and Spain Group E Decider Saudi Arabia Bid Farewell to World Cup after 2-1 Loss to Mexico Tunisia Achieve Historic Win over France but Fail to Qualify Tunisia to Clash against France in World Cup Sports Get to Know Squad of Group D Teams in World Cup Sports Al Ahly Gift EGP 70,000 to Players After Claiming Egyptian Super Cup Title Sports Bencharki Hits First 2 Goals with Al Jazira Since Leaving Zamalek Sports Arsenal Possible Line-up for Nottingham Forest News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War
