Preview | D.C. United vs. LAFC - 2026 MLS Season

Saturday, August 29 | 4:30 p.m. PT

🏟 | Audi Field - Washington, DC

🖥 | WATCH: Apple TV, Coupang Play (Korea), SpoTV (Korea), Local Bar Partners

📻 | LISTEN: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, SiriusXM FC 157 KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera (Spanish), & KYPA 1230 AM (Korean)

With 12 matches remaining in its 34-match regular-season schedule, and with the MLS Cup Playoffs looming ahead, LAFC travels to Washington D.C. for a Saturday evening meeting with D.C. United at Audi Field.

The Black & Gold currently sits in third place in the Western Conference with 35 points (10W-7L-5D) — just five points behind conference leaders Vancouver — while D.C. United sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with 24 points (5W-7L-9D).

“We know that in this league if you want to finish minimum in the top four in your [conference] you need around 15 wins,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos told the media on Thursday. “I told the guys we have 10 now. We have to focus first on getting to 15, and then going from there. So it's one win at a time, and we have to focus right now on the game in DC.”

ROAD GRADING

Following a run in which five of its last six matches were played at home at BMO Stadium, LAFC now faces the opposite, as five of its next six matches will be played on the road.

“Being on the road and having to win some big games on the road is important when you think about playoffs,” Dos Santos said. “It's not easy to be the team that gets all the home advantage. For that you have to win the Supporters’ Shield … In the playoffs you need to sometimes go away and get a big win, so this is a month for that. At the same time it's also a month where you could get closer together as a team.”

On the road this season, LAFC has a 3W-4L-3D record, while D.C. holds the same record at home (3W-4L-3D).

D.C. United has scored 28 goals in its 21 matches while conceding 36, for a goal differential of minus-8, which ranks 28th in MLS. 

LAFC, meanwhile, has scored 36 goals and conceded only 22 for a goal differential of plus-14, which is third-best in MLS — trailing only conference leaders Nashville and Vancouver.

United has gone 1W-2L-3D since returning from the World Cup break. The club leads the league in draws, with nine, along with Toronto FC.

NATE THE GREAT

Saturday’s match will reunite LAFC with Nathan Ordaz, the promising young forward the club traded to D.C. United six weeks ago. Ordaz had been part of the LAFC Academy since he was 11 and grew up on its training fields, serving as an example of LAFC’s player development pathway as he competed at every level before finally signing a first-team contract in 2022. A fan favorite because of his hustle, grit, and Encino roots, Ordaz, now 22, made 98 appearances (39 starts) across all competitions for LAFC, recording 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the Black & Gold. He has made six appearances for DC (0 starts) and recorded one assist in 116 minutes.

“We didn't speak about [Ordaz] in the video room,” Dos Santos said, “but I'm sure the guys are speaking about it when they're together. For me, I’m just excited to see how he's doing, and asking him how he's adapting in DC with his family. Our focus is so much on what we have to do as a team, but it's always good to see again guys that lived so many years with us here at LAFC and have a lot of history with us.”

LAFC WILL WIN IF 

Its banged-up roster can summon the necessary grit on a hot, humid afternoon in the nation’s capital. “Right now we want to have everybody back and we want to have a healthy group. That's when we're at our best,” Dos Santos said. “And at the moment it's not where we are.” Dos Santos mentioned short-term knocks to midfielder Timmy Tillman, wingers Jacob Shaffelburg and David Martínez, and backup goalkeeper Thomas Hasal, in addition to the expected returns next month of fullback Sergi Palencia and defensive midfielder Igor Jesus. “We just have to make sure that we push the guys that are healthy to help the team as much as they can.”

D.C. UNITED CAN WIN IF

They leverage set piece opportunities. The Black & Red are near the middle of the pack in MLS in scoring from corner kicks and free kicks, but their height makes them dangerous when attacking or defending on a restart. “We know how they defend,” Dos Santos said, “we know how tall they are. When they get corner kicks or set plays they have players that are dangerous in those moments. It’s a team that fights a lot for first and second balls, that is not afraid of being direct.”