LAFC manager Mark Dos Santos once again made a pointed remark. He fired a direct shot at the office of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States for not accommodating the schedule.
LAFC will face San Diego FC in the 2026 MLS round 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, United States, on the 3rd (all times KST). Currently LAFC has 20 points and is third, while San Diego has 11 points and is 11th.
LAFC must play again after only three days. On the 30th of last month, LAFC beat Toluca (Mexico) 2-1 in the first leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal at BMO Stadium. But with no time to catch their breath, they must play the away match at San Diego and then travel to Mexico to play the second leg against Toluca on the 7th.
LAFC has suffered a brutal schedule all season. While also playing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, they have traveled across the United States as well as to Mexico and Honduras, playing midweek and weekend matches. There was no separate schedule adjustment from the MLS office. Moreover, the Toluca away match will be held at an altitude of 2,600 meters, so it is expected to be a major challenge.
Because of this, Dos Santos could not contain his anger. After finishing the first leg against Toluca, a victory aided by Son Heung-min, he said, "This schedule is a scandal. I don't understand it," and criticized strongly: "Who at the office said 'let's play in San Diego'? Do they not want to send us to the final? MLS should help MLS teams."
Dos Santos said, "In South America, clubs like Palmeiras or Flamengo receive league-level help when they reach the quarterfinals and semifinals. They change match schedules. In France, many of Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) matches were adjusted. We have repeated Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday matches for 10 weeks. Sometimes it's a Saturday 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. match," expressing his dissatisfaction.
He added, "I wonder who in the meeting thought this was a good idea. I'd like to meet that person," and pointed out, "This is reaching the limit. We've endured a lot so far, but on Saturday we have to go to San Diego and win again. Next are Houston, St. Louis, Nashville. Players can keep running in the game without getting tired, but reality is not like that."
He even declared plans to implement rotation for the San Diego match. Key resources, including Son Heung-min, are likely to rest again this time. Dos Santos said, "If the San Diego coach is listening, don't worry. We will rotate. We need to rest everyone and prepare for the Toluca match."
This is not the first time Dos Santos has targeted the MLS office. After drawing with Colorado last week, he said, "We can't hold full-team training. It's the toughest schedule in the club's history," and added, "We're playing 13 matches in 42 days. We have to use rotation. That's why we substituted Sonny today. Originally we planned to replace him at 70 minutes."
He also said, "If you play every three days, it's normal for the team to have fluctuations. I'm not making excuses; this is the reality," and complained, "The key players are not at the level they showed at the start of the season. You can't do high-intensity training and can only think about recovery, and that leads to this situation."
Especially with the Toluca away match at high altitude looming, LAFC cannot operate at 100% capacity in the upcoming San Diego match. Son Heung-min, who was omitted from the squad or substituted early in recent league matches, is again expected to be left out of the starting lineup.
At the pre-San Diego press conference, Dos Santos said, "Right now we have to prioritize something. That's the reality," and predicted large-scale rotation, saying, "Sometimes you have to exclude some players from MLS matches to give them rest." However, regarding Denis Bouanga he said, "He is the type of player who needs match rhythm," and said he would give him playing time in the San Diego match.
[photo] ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), LAFC social media.
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