LEON, Mexico -- LAFC's 2-0 first-leg loss to Club Leon on Tuesday in the round of 16 wasn't your ordinary CONCACAF Champions League game.

For a start, it's not every day that you find Leon schoolboys bunking off to try get a photo with star LAFC and Mexico forward Carlos Vela, who was playing a club game in his homeland for the first time since he left for Arsenal in 2005. Then there was the security at LAFC's hotel, which was reportedly heavier on game day than when Mexican president Andres...

The latest edition of the CONCACAF Champions League kicks off again on Tuesday with the round of 16 stage headlined by a showdown between Liga MX's Club Leon and MLS side LAFC.

It's a tournament that has served as an annual disappointment for MLS clubs in the modern era: Liga MX clubs have won CONCACAF's continental club tournament the past 14 times and, as a result, there's generally a degree of lethargy around the competition in Mexico for that reason. Imagine a UEFA Champions League in which...

LEON, Mexico -- Club Leon coach Ignacio "Nacho" Ambriz poured praise on LAFC star Carlos Vela and said the 2019 MLS MVP is the best Mexican player at present, even if he hasn't been available for El Tri since the 2018 World Cup.

Former Mexico captain Ambriz added his team must stop Vela from seeing much of the ball in Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 first leg in Estadio Leon.

The game will be LAFC's first official international game in its short history, while Vela is set to...

MEXICO CITY -- MLS record-breakers LAFC and Mexican striker Carlos Vela will face a stern CONCACAF Champions League debut, after being drawn against Liga MX's Club Leon in the round of 16.

Leon was the only Mexican side in pot two of the draw, guaranteeing that La Fiera would be facing a team from MLS, with LAFC potentially facing Cruz Azul in the semifinal.

The full draw is Atlanta United against Motagua (Honduras), Club America versus Comunicaciones (Guatemala), Cruz Azul and Portmore United (Jamaica),...