In its first preseason friendly of 2026, LAFC hosted Bayern Munich’s U-23 squad for a closed-door match at BMO Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
More than 40 players took the pitch for both sides over the 90 minutes, with the average age of LAFC’s participants not much higher than the young visitors from the famed German club. The match was part of LAFC’s ongoing relationship with Bayern Munich FC - winners of 34 Bundesliga titles and six European championships - which began in 2023 and is focused on developing young talent and expanding both clubs' pathways across the global soccer landscape.
Roughly half of the Black & Gold’s participants in Tuesday’s friendly were players from LAFC2, in the developmental MLS NEXT Pro league. The final score was a low priority for both sides; LAFC began preparing for its 2026 MLS season just last week with its first training sessions, while the Bayern U-23 side is using its 10-day visit to southern California to prepare for the second half of its season in Germany’s Regionalliga Bayern league.
“For us, today was about seeing, especially in the first 60 minutes, a little bit of the base of what we've been working on,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said after the match. “We played three different groups, a lot of young players, I think 11 [first-team] guys stayed out of this game, they were sitting in the stands. So the objective was to see and to give an opportunity to the young guys in our club who are players that maybe we could count on in the season, training sometimes with the first team. All of that was pretty much accomplished.”
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and forwards Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga were among the LAFC first-teamers who had the day off, Bouanga having just returned from a respite following Africa’s continental championships. The young players from Bayern were cheered on by a half dozen red-clad supporters who were allowed access to BMO Stadium, their German chants echoing throughout the empty stands.
The first half featured an LAFC defensive unit anchored by goalkeeper Thomas Hasal and some of the defenders who helped LAFC rank first in expected goals allowed (34.7) in MLS in 2025: right back Sergi Palencia, centerbacks Ryan Porteous and Eddie Segura, and left back Artem Smoliakov. Young midfielders Matt Evans (age 19, above) and Jude Terry (17) logged plenty of minutes, along with 2025 starter and assist leader Mark Delgado and David Martínez, a 2025 MLS 22 Under 22 honoree.
In the second half, goalkeeper Cabral Carter relieved Hasal and was supported by a back line of Kenny Nielsen, Lorenzo Dellavalle, and 2025 regulars Ryan Hollingshead and Nkosi Tafari. The Black & Gold midfield and attacking line was comprised of LAFC2 players and trialists in the match’s second 45 minutes.
Asked for his takeaways on the day, Dos Santos said, “Our structure when we want to start our ball possession was exactly where I want it to be, building with three players, the two midfielders playing close to each other. Other things I didn't see as much, like our ability to attack the space in behind. But it's hard when you don't have everybody together, so I wanted to see how the young players like Matt Evans and Jude Terry integrate with the older guys. I was happy to see that.”
With four weeks until the Black & Gold’s Concacaf Champions Cup opener in Honduras, against Real España, Dos Santos said that he and the team will not start focusing on that matchup until they arrive in Palm Springs for five days of training at the Coachella Valley Invitational, February 4-8. “I think these first three weeks leading up to Palm Springs, we're slowly getting our roster together. We're still waiting on guys.”
LAFC will play its only public preseason friendly on Sunday, February 8, against New York City FC, at the Coachella Valley Invitational. Passes for the 2026 CVI are still available.
LAFC kicks off its 2026 MLS regular season on February 21, against Inter Miami, at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Black & Gold’s home opener at BMO Stadium is scheduled for March 7 against FC Dallas. Visit the club’s 2026 schedule and season ticket membership pages.
