Saturday, Aug. 16 | 4:30 p.m. PT
π | Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, MA
π₯ | MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | WATCH PARTIES
π» | 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, and KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera
π | Calendar sync
LAFCβs run of three straight road matches rolls into Foxborough, Mass., where the Black & Gold takes on the New England Revolution Saturday night at Gillette Stadium (MLS Season Pass on Apple TV; 980 AM La Mera Mera, 710 AM ESPN, ESPN App).
With 11 games remaining in its 34-game regular season, LAFC is looking to gather points and climb into the top four of the Western Conference standings. Nine teams from the West will advance to the MLS Cup Playoffs, which begin in late October, but only the top four will get home-field advantage in their respective Round One, Best-of-3 series. Gaining that advantage is LAFCβs main goal.
Currently the Black & Gold sits in fifth place in the West (10W-6L-7D, 37 points) but the club has two or three games in hand on all four clubs positioned above it in the table.
After narrowly missing its chance to advance into the Knockout Phase of Leagues Cup last week, LAFCβs βfocus is solely on the MLS schedule,β said manager Steve Cherundolo. And now Cherundolo has a new weapon as he tries to cap his fourth and final season with the Black & Gold with a deep playoff run.
SONNY OUTLOOK
Forward Son Heung-Min landed in Los Angeles last Tuesday, joining LAFC on a Designated Player contract through 2027, with options into 2029. The star forward made his LAFC debut last Saturday in Chicago, applying 40 minutes of pressure on the Fireβs back line and earning the critical penalty that allowed LAFC to tie the game and return to LA with one point instead of zero.
βIf I were a player on LAFC and I had a player like Sonny coming in, I would be very happy,β Cherundolo said after training on Thursday, βand I can tell by the reaction from the players that that is the case. Having a player who can finish plays, having a player who can make the team better can definitely motivate other players and give our team an advantage over other teams. That's exactly what we're looking for. From the first half hour in Chicago, I think that's what we saw, and now it's a matter of replicating that, but hopefully for a little longer than a half an hour in New England.β
RATING THE REVS
New England is currently in 11th place in Eastern Conference (7W-11L-7D, 28 pts.), with 33 goals scored and 35 conceded (minus-2 goal differential). The Revs are eight points out of the ninth and final playoff spot in the East. With just nine games remaining they need a home result this weekend if they hope to extend their season.
Thirty-two-year-old Spaniard Carles Gil leads New England in goals (9), assists (9), minutes played (2,247), and just about everything else. The 2019 MLS MVP has performed brilliantly this year after a 2024 season interrupted by injury.
A classic attacking midfielder, Gil contributed a goal and an assist to the Revsβ 2-0 home win over D.C. United last weekend, which snapped a nine-game winless streak for the club and moved Gil past Taylor Twellman and into first place for the most goal contributions in Revs history (130). Goalkeeper Matt Turner (see below) kept a clean sheet in his first appearance for New England since May 2022.
BOUANGA WATCH
LAFC forward and three-time MLS All-Star Denis Bouanga continues to threaten the clubβs β and the leagueβs β most hallowed scoring records. Bouanga (89 goals) is just four tallies away from tying former LAFC captain and club legend Carlos Vela for the most goals scored in black and gold in all competitions (93).
Bouangaβs 14 goals in MLS play this year currently have him in sixth place in the Golden Boot race. If he reaches 20 league goals this season he would become the first player in MLS history to hit that mark in three straight campaigns. The addition of Son, said fellow forward Nate Ordaz, can help Bouanga get there. β[Son] is just another super dangerous threat. We already have Denis Bouanga, who's one of the best in the league. If anything it's gonna help him out more just because it's another guy to worry about, another guy to be scared of. I think all defenses should be worried.β
NEW ENGLAND CAN WIN IF
Turner stands on his head. The Revsβ former and current goalie has traveled the world gaining valuable experience prior to his return to MLS last week. After winning the leagueβs Goalkeeper of the Year award with the Revs in 2021, Turner joined Premier League club Arsenal and the following year moved to Nottingham Forest, who loaned him to Crystal Palace (where he won the FA Cup this year). Turner then signed with Lyon (where LAFC keeper Hugo Lloris starred in goal from 2008 to 2012). The French top-tier club loaned him to the Revolution two weeks ago.
The longtime USMNT goalie, Turner, 31, now has a chance to stabilize the Revs and lift them toward the Eastern Conference playoff line while impressing USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Earning home points against LAFC would support all of those efforts.
LAFC CAN WIN IF
It adapts to the conditions. This will be the Black & Goldβs second straight game playing in Eastern Conference humidity and on an unfamiliar surface. Lastβs weekβs slippery sod at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago proved challenging, but the artificial turf at Gillette, and the weather forecastβwhich could be impacted by Tropical Storm Erinβwill present new hurdles.
LAFC has a record of 0W-1L-2D in the three games it has played on artificial turf this year (in Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver). If it can shake off the long flight and adapt to Gilletteβs fake grass and midsummer humidity, while continuing to integrate Son, three points are there for the taking, especially if LAFCβs defending remains stout. Only five MLS clubs have conceded fewer goals than the 30 LAFC has allowed thus far.
