LAFC won all three official matches of the 2026 season.
LAFC beat Real España 1-0 on the 25th (Korea time) at BMO Stadium in the United States in the second leg of the first round of the 2026 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions Cup.
With this, LAFC advanced to the Champions Cup second round after defeating Real España by an aggregate score of 7-1.
Coach Mark Dos Santos deployed a large rotation. Under a 4-3-3 formation, Buanga-Son Heung-min-Boyd stood up front, Raposo-Eustaqio-Shuanier formed the midfield. With goalkeeper Hugo Lloris absent, Son Heung-min wore the captain's armband. Following the 6-1 first-leg victory, most starters except Tapari, Son Heung-min and Buanga were changed, making the lineup effectively close to a 1.8 squad.
The early flow of the match was a probing contest. Real España built a five-man defense and narrowed defensive gaps, and LAFC also chose an operation that did not force the issue. With the tempo not rising easily, Son Heung-min flashed several times.
In the 8th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min made a decisive move by penetrating the space behind the defense, but offside was called. Then in the 10th minute of the first half, he received Buanga's pass and continued to a shot from a difficult angle, but this play was also nullified by an offside ruling. Although it did not lead to an attacking point, it was the most threatening movement amid a sluggish flow.
LAFC increased possession after the middle of the first half. In the 27th minute, Boudrigard's through pass to Boyd led to a one-on-one opportunity but was stopped by goalkeeper López's save. In the 39th minute, after Boudrigard's overlapping run the ball that spilled out was connected to a mid-range shot by Raposo but was caught by the goalkeeper.
España also launched a counterattack. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Vuelto attempted a left-footed shot near the penalty arc, but goalkeeper Hasan dealt with it securely.
The first half ended 0-0.
At the start of the second half, LAFC brought Son Heung-min to the bench and introduced Nathan Ordaz.
LA broke the deadlock. In the 19th minute of the second half from a free kick situation, Tilman received and struck a shot that was stopped by the goalkeeper, and Tapari pushed it in to make the score 1-0.
After that the flow tilted toward LAFC. In the 24th minute of the second half, David Martinez was brought on for Tyler Boyd to change the attack, and shooting opportunities were created around Amin Boudrigard. In the 30th minute of the second half, Boudrigard's shot went over the goal, and in the subsequent scene Timothy Tilman's shot was stopped by the goalkeeper, missing a chance for an additional goal.
The biggest crisis came at the end of the match. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Real España earned a penalty after Kenny Nielsen's foul and had an opportunity to equalize. It was a situation that could have shaken the atmosphere, but goalkeeper Thomas Hasan saved Jo Benavides' shot and rescued the team.
After that LAFC maintained defensive concentration and withstood the opponent's late offensive. Nathan Ordaz's mid-range shot went wide and they failed to score additional goals, but they held the lead with steady game management.
When the final whistle blew LAFC confirmed a 1-0 victory. The team's performance, which did not lose concentration despite rotation, stood out, and goalkeeper Hasan's decisive save became the turning point of the match.
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