CCL History
Since their inception in 1996, the Galaxy have competed in six editions of the CONCACAF Champions League (formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions Cup), winning the regional championship in 2000 when they became the second MLS club ever to win the tournament.
After winning the Western Conference Championship in 1996, the Galaxy were entered into the 1997 Champions Cup where they would go on to reach the Final against Mexican side Cruz Azul. LA reached the final of the-then 16-team tournament by defeating Santos Laguna (Mexico) 4-1 in the first round and knocking off Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) 2-1 in the quarterfinals. The Galaxy then defeated MLS rival D.C. United 1-0 in their own stadium in the semifinals to qualify for the Champions Cup Final.
However, despite taking an early 2-0 lead over Cruz Azul in the Final, the Galaxy gave up five straight goals and eventually fell 5-3.
VIEW 1997 BOX SCORES AND STATS
LA was back in the Champions Cup in 1999, but their involvement was short-lived as they fell to Mexican side Necaxa on penalties in a Play-In Game.
VIEW 1999 BOX SCORES AND STATS
However, one year later the Galaxy were able to make it back to the Champions Cup Final and went one step further, winning the tournament by defeating Olimpia of Honduras 3-2 in the final at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 21, 2001. READ ABOUT THE FINAL MATCH The Galaxy reached the Champions Cup Final by edging past Real España of Honduras and D.C. United in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, with both wins coming via penalties.
In the final, Danilo Tosello gave the Central Americans a 1-0 lead after 34 minutes, only for Ezra Hendrickson to equalize two minutes later for LA. Two minutes later the Galaxy were in front as Cobi Jones tallied, giving LA a 2-1 halftime lead. However, just six minutes after the break, the Honduran side equalized through Robert Lima, much to the chagrin of the Galaxy faithful in attendance. But with the clock, creeping toward full time and the Galaxy appearing to be heading to extra time for the third straight game, Hendrickson notched his second goal of the contest, finishing a pass from Mauricio Cienfuegos, in the 78th minute to give LA a 3-2 lead which they would hold until the final whistle.
VIEW 2000 BOX SCORES AND STATS
The Galaxy were back in the Champions Cup in 2003, facing CD Motagua of Honduras in the Round of 16. LA advanced through that series, claiming a 2-2 draw on the road before returning home and winning 1-0 in the second leg on a dramatic Alexi Lalas goal for a 3-2 win on aggregate. But that would be as far as the Galaxy would go as they were once again eliminated by Necaxa in the quarterfinals, falling 6-2 on aggregate. LA lost the first game 4-1 in Fullerton, Calif. before falling 2-1 in the return leg in Mexico.
VIEW 2003 BOX SCORES AND STATS
LA qualified for the Champions Cup again in 2006 when they fell to Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. Despite looking like a team still in the early stages of preseason - and facing a team that placed third in the FIFA Club World Championship barely two months earlier - the Galaxy managed to scrape out a scoreless draw with Saprissa in the first leg of their quarterfinal at The Home Depot Center. In the return leg in Costa Rica on March 8, the Galaxy took a 2-0 lead into the half behind goals from Landon Donovan and Josh Gardner, but they could not hang on and dethrone the defending CONCACAF champion, falling 3-2 in extra time.
VIEW 2006 BOX SCORES AND STATS
Back in the Champions League in 2010, the Galaxy’s participation in the tournament was short-lived as they lost 5-3 on aggregate in the Preliminary Round against the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Galaxy lost the first leg of the series at home 4-1 before pulling out a 2-1 win in the return leg in Puerto Rico.
VIEW 2010 BOX SCORES AND STATS
As a result of winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2010, the Galaxy will bypass the Preliminary Round stage of the Champions League and enter directly at the Group Stage for the 2011-12 edition of the competition. The club, who have never before participated in the Champions League Group Stage (the current format of the tournament was adopted following the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup), will begin play in the tournament in August.
