Major League Soccer has never won the Concacaf Champions League. D.C. United and the LA Galaxy each won the Concacaf Champions Cup, the tournament's precursor, but the league has had no luck in the current competition, which began play in 2008.
That Concacaf Champions League drought finally ended on Wednesday, kind of.
LAFC’s academy team won the U-13 Concacaf Champions League title on Wednesday, defeating Junior Tampicos of Mexico 2-0 in the final.
Champions!!!
Our 2005 #LAFC Academy squad has won the U-13 Concacaf Champions League tournament, defeating Juniors Tampico 2-0 in the final! pic.twitter.com/Ui3jeeLrII— LAFC Academy (@LAFCAcademy) August 22, 2018
OK, so it’s not quite the Champions League title MLS craves, but it’s better than nothing. And it shows how far LAFC has come with its academy despite the MLS club being in its first season.
LAFC dominated the tournament, outscoring opponents 14-4 in six matches, including three straight clean sheets to close things out. LAFC beat Canadian teams Toronto FC and Montreal Impact in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
LAFC's Diego Cejas won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player and the team won the tournament's Fair Play Award for having the fewest number of yellow and red cards.
Against Junior Tampicos, LAFC took the lead in the first half with a header from Dylan Presto off a corner kick.
The @LAFCAcademy score first! pic.twitter.com/OzDq6aSop9
— The 3252 (@LAFC3252) August 22, 2018
Presto scored his second 15 minutes later to finish off a lovely piece of play from the U.S. side.
Another Goal for @LAFCAcademy @LAFC
Watch live:https://t.co/QBBr5LazmB #LAFC #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/YCNyCGZaBM— The 3252 (@LAFC3252) August 22, 2018
It was the first international trophy of any kind for LAFC at all levels. The U-13 team also captured the Manchester City Cup earlier this year.
No better way to celebrate a win. #LAFC pic.twitter.com/X8LePT0eZD
— LAFC Academy (@LAFCAcademy) August 22, 2018
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