In response to concerns about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Concacaf has announced that its upcoming Concacaf Champions League matches, including the Thursday night match between LAFC and Cruz Azul in Los Angeles, is being postponed.
The suspension of the tournament was announced Thursday morning as part of a wave of sporting entities around the globe putting pauses on seasons and tournaments.
As Concacaf said in its official statement, “Given the developments last night, including new guidance issued by countries, cities, and states, we have made the decision to suspend the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League with immediate effect. We are continuing to discuss arrangements for other upcoming Concacaf competitions and will make a further public statement in due course.”
This week’s other quarterfinal matches were played as scheduled, including Olimpia’s 2-1 win over the Montreal Impact, Club America’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United, and a 1-0 win by Tigres over NYCFC.
Postponed: LAFC vs. Cruz Azul
- When:
10:30pm ET, Thursday, March 12Postponed - Where: Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California
- Broadcast: Fox Sports 2 and TUDN
- Streaming Services: FuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV
HOW TO STREAM LAFC VS. CRUZ AZUL | |
FUBOTV | TRY NOW |
HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
SLING TV | TRY NOW |
AT&T TV NOW | TRY NOW |
LAFC vs. Cruz Azul: Preview
LAFC was to return on Thursday to take on first-place Liga MX club Cruz Azul, and the MLS club will have home-field advantage for the quarterfinal’s first leg. Head coach Bob Bradley and LAFC advanced in the CCL’s Round of 16 over another Mexican club, León, which was in first place (but has since slipped to second) when LAFC triumphed.
Cruz Azul, under manager Robert Siboldi, has risen to the top of the table on the back of five straight league wins, including a pair of 2-1 victories over Guadalajara on the road and Tigres at home.
LAFC vs. Cruz Azul live stream: How to watch Concacaf Champions League matches
The match is on Fox Sports 2 and TUDN; these streaming services provide fans the opportunity to catch Concacaf Champions League action throughout the tournament.
1) FuboTV
- Cost: $44.99 for your first month and $54.99 per month thereafter
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- Local channels: ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS, the CW (in some markets) (check local availability here)
FuboTV is a solid TV streaming service option, whether your tastes run to entertainment (AMC, Syfy, FX), news (MSNBC, CNN), or sports (NBA TV, NFL Network).
If you’re a soccer fan, however, it will appear tailor-made for you, with NBC and NBCSN for Premier League matches, 10 beIN SPORTS channels for La Liga and Ligue 1, FS1, FS2, UniMás, and Champions League action via TNT all on tap. If you can’t watch a match live, FuboTV offers a three-day replay for each match and 30 hours of cloud DVR. (Check out the complete FuboTV channels list.)
FuboTV also has bilingual families in mind; each subscription comes with UniMás, Galavisión, NBC Universo, beIN SPORTS, Univision, and Fox Deportes. An extra $7.99 per month will bring you Latino Plus, which includes CNN en Español and TyC Sports among its offerings.
2) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its broad spectrum of offerings, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
3) Sling TV
- Sling TV pricing: $30-$45 per month ($10 off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $30 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NBCSN (where many Premier League matches appear), NFL Network, and local channels. (Sling Blue customers in select markets get NBC, where some matches appear; see if yours has it here.) Sling Blue also brings Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and Headline News as part of its regular slate of channels, with Fox Business Channel available for those who get the Sling Blue News Extra add-on.
If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $45 per month.
Other features include a Free Cloud DVR tier for all subscribers (allowing 10 hours of recording a month), the ability to record all live linear channels, and no VOD preemption on any channels. New subscribers get $10 off the first month.
To add BeIN Sports and ESPN Deportes and maximize your soccer-watching potential, you’ll want to add either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.)
Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and beIN SPORTS Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from La Liga, Ligue 1 and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial. Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and—of import to soccer fans—four beIN SPORTS channels. (And choosing Best of Spanish + Sling Orange for $35 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.
4) AT&T TV Now
- Cost: $65-$135 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, iOS and Android devices
- Local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
AT&T TV Now is a bonus for AT&T wireless customers, especially for those who happen to be soccer fans. It provides instant access to more than 45 channels, including local channels. That means NBC as well as NBCSN for Premier League action, Fox as well as FS1 and FS2 for MLS, Bundesliga, the U.S. men’s and women’s teams, and even Liga MX offerings, and ESPN and ESPN2 for its array of soccer and other sports programming. It even offers free HBO on PLUS and MAX channel suites. Plus, it comes with CloudDVR for up to 20 hours of TV recording per month. One account works on two devices, but you can add more devices for only $5.
5) YouTube TV
YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for sports fans, including TNT for NBA, NBC and NBCSN for NFL and Premier League matches, and ESPN for college sports, NHL and MLB. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
LAFC vs. Cruz Azul: Recent form, summary of last match, odds
LAFC (last four matches: LWWD) played out an extraordinary 3-3 draw with Philadelphia Union on Sunday, with a Carlos Vela free kick not even being the best set piece taken in the game. It may have been two points dropped for LAFC, but the third-year club still has plenty of momentum after eliminating León in the first round. Along with setting a MLS all-time record of 72 points in a season in the club’s second year, this gives LAFC confidence throughout the organization it can compete with any team throughout the region. If Vela, Diego Rossi, and Brian Rodriguez can replicate their León performance at home against Cruz Azul, it will prove it.
Cruz Azul (last five games: WWWWW) has scored 15 goals over this five-game winning streak, with Johnathan Rodríguez and Mexico U-23 phenom Roberto Alvarado among the frequent goal scorers. Alvarado has tallied two goals and five assists already this Clausura, and has earned himself a call-up to the El Tri roster as an attacking midfielder for Olympic qualification, where it’s in a group with Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Alvarado will be critical in attack and defensively in the first leg, as a likely matchup against LAFC U-23 Ecuadorian defensive midfielder Eduard Atuesta will help determine how well the MLS club can implement its pattern of possession, and control the game.
Odds
According to the DraftKings Sportsbook oddsmakers (as of March 11):
- LAFC, -109 (wager $109 to win $100)
- Cruz Azul, +275
- Draw, +265
Also Postponed: Second Leg, Cruz Azul vs. LAFC
10:30pm ET, Wednesday, March 18, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico Postponed
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