After a 4-0 win over the Colorado Rapids in the semifinals, LAFC will next face the Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup final at Lower.com Field on Sunday, August 25.

This meeting will be the second tournament final between the Black & Gold and the Crew in less than nine months, with Columbus earning a 2-1 victory over LAFC in the 2023 MLS Cup final.

Sunday’s game is not only a rematch of that title fight, but also a showdown in the race for the 2024 Leagues Cup Golden Boot. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, winner of the 2023 MLS Golden Boot, and Columbus’ Diego Rossi, who won the 2020 MLS Golden Boot with LAFC, are tied for first place with six goals each in the 2024 Leagues Cup.

Bouanga has scored 12 goals in the two-year history of the Leagues Cup, making him the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer.

LAFC is in impressive form, boasting a record of 18 wins, 1 loss and 3 draws in their last 22 games in all competitions. The Black & Gold’s only loss in that span was a 5-1 defeat to the Crew last month at BMO Stadium. On LAFC’s two consecutive losses to the Crew, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said: “I just think there were no great moments when we played them. We didn’t perform well. I’m not worried about the matchups or the tactics. It’s all pretty clear. It’s about individual performance. In the first two games against them we had some bad ones and the other night (against Colorado) we had some great ones.”

Cherundolo added that Sunday’s final could potentially be new striker Olivier Giroud’s first appearance in the LAFC jersey. “It’s certainly possible,” Cherundolo said. “I guess we’ll wait and see.”