On the heels of a frantic, emotional derby draw highlighted by a two-goal comeback inside a sold-out BMO Stadium, LAFC enters its regular-season home finale this Sunday eager to build on the momentum of a riveting second half against the Galaxy in which the attacking strategies implemented by interim head coach Xavi Tamarit appeared to take hold – and nearly resulted in a stoppage-time matchwinner.
Through all of the setbacks that 2026 has thrown LAFC’s way – through the injuries, roster churn, staff adjustments, and the travel through five countries – this year's version of LAFC stands just four points out of third place in the Western Conference (where it finished last season), and is tied on points for 10th place in the Supporters’ Shield standings. The club is second in the Western Conference in goal differential (+15) and fourth in the whole league.
- ALSO SEE: MLS Standings
Through it all, LAFC’s players and staff have never wavered in their belief that this roster is capable of playing in the MLS Cup Final on December 18. At no point since the season opener in February has the team relinquished this belief, despite the headwinds.
“I'm really happy to be in the playoffs,” Tamarit said after the Galaxy match. “We are very happy, the club, the players, all of us. We fought for that … it's not easy for anyone.
“Second, I want to say that I am very proud [of] the team. How we overcame a really difficult situation that we didn't deserve. In my opinion, we were much better from the start until the end of the game, and the mentality that the team had made me feel so proud. How the players that were on the bench came in. That means we are building a hard team, a real team … They never give up.”
By the time this weekend’s home match against Minnesota United kicks off, LAFC will have had two full workweeks to train under Tamarit, the Spanish tactician who assumed the reins on October 1, as his group assumes the shape of a team that no one should be eager to face when the playoffs arrive in mid-November.
“This season [has been] more difficult,” All-Star forward Denis Bouanga said. “I don't know why. Okay, we clinched the playoffs. We can do something in the playoffs for sure. Some teams don't want to play against us.”
With two games remaining, LAFC can still finish in the top four in the Western Conference and thereby earn two home games in its upcoming Round One, Best-of-3 playoff series. There’s also a chance the club could drop into a Wild Card spot. Key to that variance are three midweek matches in the Western Conference that Black & Gold supporters will want to keep an eye on Wednesday night (Oct. 28) while the Black & Gold rests and prepares for Sunday.
WED. OCT. 28 |
kickoff on Apple TV |
St. Louis (3rd in West) vs. Portland |
5:30 PT |
San Jose (4th) vs. Colorado |
7:30 PT |
Seattle vs. Houston (5th) |
7:30 PT |
Only one team in the West (Sporting KC) has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Every team but LAFC and the Galaxy has three games left. Those two sides met Sunday in the league’s best rivalry.
RIVALRY REWIND
BMO Stadium felt like it felt when Cruz Azul and Toluca came to Los Angeles in the spring. A jammed 110 Freeway, a sold-out arena, and hard stares among opposing players and fans let everyone know that MLS’ greatest derby was at hand. The action on the pitch lived up to the buildup.
“I think the first half, you start the game kind of feeling each other out, both of us,” LAFC defender Aaron Long said of an opening 45 minutes played largely in the Galaxy’s half. In the 28th minute LAFC scored what appeared to be the opening goal when a Galaxy defender misplayed a header into the path of Bouanga, whose shot clanged off the crossbar and was tapped in by Son Heung-Min. After a four-minute discussion and VAR review, Bouanga was ruled offside – and not without controversy.
One minute after the restart, as LAFC’s technical staff was still trying to decipher an explanation, the Galaxy scored following a giveaway to go ahead 1-0.
“It was an unfortunate sequence for us,” said Tamarit, “and we went through a few minutes of instability after that. It’s a bit emotional—you’ve just scored a goal, and from your perspective on the pitch you don’t understand why it was disallowed—and then right after that happens you concede a goal. It was a heavy blow for us, though I think we had started to recover from it—and then right at the start of the second half we conceded a second goal during a counterattack.
“Even in that situation, the team never gave up,” Tamarit continued. “They kept trying—staying true to our plan and the identity we want to establish—always attacking, always looking to create, making overlapping runs down the flanks, and getting to the byline to attack. We ended up creating a great many chances.”
The Galaxy’s second goal flipped a switch, said Long. “That’s when we're like, OK, now there is no other option but to push, and I think in that moment we played really brave and we pushed the game.”
“It's so difficult for me to stay calm when you concede some goals,” said Bouanga. “It’s tough when you concede two goals against the Galaxy. So difficult to come back. But I'm so mad, because we can do better. And when I saw that, it's so difficult for me to stay calm, and I needed to get out some bad energy and come back with good energy.”
Bouanga’s positive vibes combined with those flowing from the home crowd to create a goal that made the score 2-1 – a goal that saw Bouanga tie Carlos Vela as the Los Angeles derby’s all-time top scorer (12 goals). Then Leo Walta equalized for LAFC at the 62’ mark. The Black & Gold dominated possession at 66 percent in the second half (and 56 percent for the match), built an overall xG advantage of 3.1 to 1.8, and nearly put in a matchwinner in stoppage time before it was wiped away [uncontroversially] for offside.
“I thought the fans were incredible,” Long said. “I don't know how it felt outside the stadium, but in a moment when we're 2-0 down to be able to lean on our fans in that atmosphere, it was amazing for them to rally the way they did and help us claw that game back. So, kudos to them. We love them for it.”
“From the moment [Galaxy] scored their second goal, there was only one team pushing for the win until the very end,” Tamarit said in Spanish. “We are very proud of the performance we put in, and we are also very proud to have qualified for the playoffs. We wanted more. We wanted to win.”
UP AHEAD
Tamarit is unbeaten as LAFC’s interim head coach (1W-0L-3D), and has twice seen his side hit xG totals exceeding 3.0 over those four matches.
As for this Sunday’s opponent, one year after Minnesota United finished fourth in the West with 56 points, the Loons of 2026 stand in 13th with 35 points (8W-12L-11D). That record includes a 1-0 loss to LAFC on April 25 in which David Martínez, now starring for first-place Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland, scored for the Black & Gold in the ninth minute and LAFC grinded out the three-point result on the road.
Last weekend Minnesota played third-place Houston to a 0-0 draw in Houston in which the Loons’ back line and midfield dug in for a hard-earned road point. A week earlier Minnesota stunned MLS with a 3-2 comeback win over St. Louis CITY SC which ended CITY’s league-record 20-game unbeaten run.
The Loons this year are 5W-7L-4D away from home, and on Sunday enter a fortress where LAFC has lost just three of 16 home matches this year.
“I think we're a dangerous team,” Long said. “I think we're a team that is showing that we're willing to fight, even in tough moments.”
FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT
The Black & Gold celebrates its faithful before, during, and after this weekend’s match, with a pregame Fan Fest outside BMO Stadium, and a matchday experience inside that includes merch discounts at LAFC HQ, featured menu items, $5 Modelo drafts, special guests, and a fan giveaway courtesy of DoorDash.
Tamarit expressed the club’s gratitude perfectly in the moments after last weekend’s derby: “I want to say thank you to our fans, and to all of the environment, because it was amazing. They helped us out. They were supporting in a really difficult moment. And [our] reaction is because [of] them.”
