'Buenas noches' - Why LAFC look built to win the Champions Cup after beating Cruz Azul, and why Inter Miami got it wrong

It is not overly dramatic to suggest that LAFC are battling history here. For some reason, MLS teams struggle immensely in this competition. Some have pointed out that Liga MX teams simply have more depth as result of their higher spending power. Others argue that MLS clubs lack the versatility, or tactical nous, to get it done on the road. Either way, big leads have been squandered, and only three MLS clubs have won the competition. And since the format changed in 2008, just one, the Seattle Sounders in 2022, have ever gotten over the line.

There's no formula here. Some of the losses make no sense. Vancouver Whitecaps were in fine form last year, but were battered 5-0 by Cruz Azul in last year's final. There were a number of reports that the team was suffering from some sort of stomach flu. Jesse Marsch, very much not the Whitecaps' manager, claimed that the Canadian side had been poisoned intentionally. Jesper Sorensen, very much the Whitecaps manager, said those claims might be misguided. Either way, the Whitecaps took their own chef and dietician down to Mexico. It is possible, if not likely, that they were simply battered in a hostile environment.

Yet on that same pitch on Tuesday night, LAFC were not. All of the right pieces seemed to be there for a Mexican remontada. Cruz Azul scored in the 18th minute when they were handed a bit of a soft penalty. From there, they rather dominated play. Lloris, 39-years-old, had to roll back the years and made eight saves in a man-of-the-match performance. Cruz Azul had 71 percent of the possession, tallied 32 shots, and put 10 on target. Their expected goals - if you subscribe to such things - were 2.8.

It was, then, a quite remarkable defensive stand from LAFC - and rounded off by a late penalty kick to salvage a 1-1 draw on the night, which was more or less deserved. Yet these things come down to more than resolve and one-off performances. Crucially, LAFC had options and fresh legs to draw from. Son-Heung Min is of course the star player here.

But he was used in a slightly different way. During MLS play, he has operated as a No.10 of sorts, making runs from deep and combining with a more natural center forward. Midweek, manager Marc Dos Santos used him as a mobile No. 9 and asked him to stretch play. Nathan Ordaz, who has been so valuable as a target man in domestic competitions, was benched. And when LAFC needed a new injection of quality off the bench, Canadian international Jacob Shaffelburg offered width and industry on the wing. Ryan Hollingshead, a fine defender in his own right, was thrown on for late defensive solidity. In other words, when Dos Santos looked at his bench, he had solid options - not star players.

In these competitions, there are different kinds of game-changers. LAFC already have their stars in Son and Bouanga. But the real investment has been in the guys who can offer something different, a strong supporting cast. Hollingshead, Shaffelburg, and David Martinez are all top-tier backup options. Ordaz offers something different off the bench. Even Aaron Long, recovering from an Achilles injury, is an excellent rotation piece. And that doesn't even mention former Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, who will be back soon from a knock.

Perhaps this seems logical. A good team needs lots of good players that it can turn to in order to get a result. This is not a revolutionary new thought. Yet when Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas stood on the pitch after winning MLS Cup, he promised that his club would throw everything at winning the Champions Cup the season after. Miami, much like LAFC, had money to spend and an appealing venue to play at.

But when they looked at their bank account and perused their options, the Herons weren't quite as shrewd. If they were to win this competition, they needed runners around Messi. The Argentine is the greatest to ever play the game. But at his age, he can't run week in, week out. Sure, the solution in attack is simply to give him the ball. But going the other way? Miami, quite clearly, needed work rate.

Instead, they signed a striker. It is not necessarily German Berterame's fault that he cost around $15 million and isn't a great fit here. But he certainly was the wrong signing for the Herons. If they were going to go for a game changer, the key need was in midfield - or even out wide. And if they wanted to get even more creative, Miami could have changed their salary structure, dropped a designated player spot, and focused on talent to add to their U-22 initiative slots. Miami needed defense. They went for attack.

Yet if this is so obvious, why didn't Miami do it? Of course, there are numerous factors at play here. The first is the Messi effect. The Argentine, it seems, runs things behind the scenes in South Beach. In effect, he gets the signings he wants, and it is perhaps of little coincidence that Berterame is Mexican-Argentine. For all of Messi's skill as a footballer, he is most certainly not a sporting director. Ironically, their sporting director is now their head coach after Javier Mascherano left,and he, too, has ties to Messi.

More broadly, it speaks to the fact that Miami are a bit of a mess right now. There isn't much of a strategy for things with the MLS Cup champs. They were carried to the trophy by Messi and a defensive unit that got hot in the playoffs. Jordi Alba was crucial and never replaced. Sergio Busquets, though old, held things together. Their team, in effect, underwent an immense change in the offseason and wasn't repaired in the right way. It is so, so crucial in MLS, where money is tight, that teams spend well. Miami did not.

The easy counterargument here is that the Herons were knocked out not by a Liga MX power, but by Nashville, a franchise that has only existed for six years. Under former USMNT interim BJ Callaghan, they executed a quite wonderful two-leg victory. But that side is built for cup competitions. They have Sam Surridge, a singular striker who can cover ground. They have Hany Mukhtar, a playmaker that bucks the MLS trend of care-free No.10s. And Cristian Espinoza, signed as a free agent, is as effective of a runner as he is picking a pass in the final third. They are, in effect, the right kind of team here. You wouldn't bet against them to win the whole thing, either.

And so we return to LAFC. What is the ceiling here? Well, the victory over the reigning champions, by a compelling margin, has things poised nicely. There are two Liga MX teams left, and two MLS sides still in the fold. They are on opposite sides of the bracket, too. Nashville managed a gutsy win over Club America, and face a Tigres side that edged Seattle. They have done a wonderful job, became the first MLS team to win at the Estadio Azteca, and are in fine form ahead of a tough semifinal.

But LAFC have the tasty one. They are matched up with Toluca, who laid waste to LA Galaxy in the previous round and are fifth in Liga MX. At this point, there is no such thing as a true favorite. There never is in this competition, where MLS teams have cruised through the earlier rounds and then lost when the stakes are at their highest. Yet LAFC might just be the best shot an MLS team has had in years.

Toluca are a very good team, and come into the tie with two Liga MX titles in a row under their belt. But LAFC are simply built for this competition. Perhaps that should be enough to get a result - and also show the rest of the league how this tournament can be won.