Soccer
LAFC are rounding into form at the ideal time.
After a 2-1 win over Toluca in Leg 1 of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium, the Black & Gold went on the road to a motivated San Diego FC side and drew 2-2, with Ryan Hollingshead‘s 114th-minute goal pulling them back from 2-0 down.
After a four-match winless streak in April, LAFC appear to have righted the ship with a four-match unbeaten streak.
“We never give up,” said head coach Marc Dos Santos after the match.
“We’re a group that has 18 games in about two months and a week, and in 18 games, we lost two. We’re in the semifinal of the Champions [Cup], we keep grinding, pushing, and our guys have an amazing mindset.”
Ryan Hollingshead levels it for LAFC in stoppage time! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZeftWanI4I
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026
Rivalry ready
LAFC have navigated a difficult schedule to start the season with aplomb. While advancing deep into the CCC, they’ve maintained a third-place spot in a top-heavy Western Conference, winning six of their opening 11 league matches.
Heading into a match against a struggling-but-talented San Diego side, a Southern California rival, the right balance between aggressiveness and focusing on Toluca was tough to hit. A comeback draw on the road to earn their first-ever point against SDFC seems like LAFC got it right.
“It’s a rival… You don’t wanna come to this game and just throw it away,” Dos Santos said. “Coming back in an away game in this stadium against an opponent that needed the win also, it shows the mindset of our guys, and that’s an amazing place to be.”
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026
CCC motivation
Getting a win against a team widely regarded as one of the best in Mexico in Leg 1 of their CCC semifinal is impressive in its own right. Doing it without Gabonese international Denis Bouanga, who missed the match due to yellow card accumulation, takes it up a level.
Bouanga will be back for Leg 2 on Wednesday (9:30 pm ET | FS2, TUDN), and he continued his impressive form, bagging his 10th goal across all competitions to begin the comeback.
“There was a belief from our group and from our fans that we could tie,” said Dos Santos, noting the positive substitutions made in the second half.
“So you go in the bus in a very positive way and tomorrow, swimming pool, families, go to a restaurant, relax, don’t think about soccer. And then Monday, come back with blood in your eyes for training and ready to prepare, until now, our biggest game of the year.”
Read MoreBong Geddes