Tuesday, Feb. 24 | 7:00 p.m. PT
🏟 | BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
🖥 | FS2, TUDN, ConcacafGO, One Soccer (Canada), Coupang Play (Korea)
📻 | 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera (Spanish), & KYPA 1230 AM (Korean)
With advancement to the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 on the line, LAFC hosts Real España at BMO Stadium for the second leg of their two-match series in CCC Round One.
LAFC opened its 2026 season with a 4,600-mile round trip to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, last week for its first-leg match against Real España, and took a 6-1 lead on aggregate (combined) goals over the Honduran club. The winner on aggregate over the two matches will move on to face Costa Rican side L.D. Alajuelense in another two-leg matchup in the CCC Round of 16 in mid-March.
LEG ONE LOOKBACK
Denis Bouanga, Son Heung-Min, David Martínez and Timothy Tillman each scored in the first half as LAFC cruised to a 5-0 lead over Real España at Estadio Francisco Morazán last week. Son (three assists) and Bouanga (two goals) had a hand in all five first-half scores, continuing their scorching form after combining for 25 goals and eight assists over the last four months of 2025.
Real España found the back of the net in the 51st minute, then Bouanga completed his hat trick in the 71st minute, finishing a feed from Sergi Palencia to make the final score 6-1.
Real España produced occasional danger in the match. In the 44th minute midfielder Jhow Benavidez unleashed a right-footed rocket from 25 yards away that LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris barely got a finger on before it clanged off the crossbar. Seconds later Benavidez curled in a free kick from distance that Gonzalo Ritacco headed sharply on frame, but right into Lloris’ arms.
Real España pulled a goal back in the 51st minute when a Benavidez free kick rocketed off the head of his teammate, Honduras National Team midfielder Jack Jean-Baptiste, and past Lloris. If nothing else, LAFC can work on its set-piece defending on Tuesday night against a side that clearly takes such opportunities seriously.
LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos isn’t looking at this as a night off, though. “We didn’t finish our job yet with Real España,” Dos Santos told the media on the eve of Tuesday’s rematch, “so our approach is to try to finish the work we have, and qualify to the next stage.”
WHAT TO EXPECT IN LEG TWO
Unless LAFC loses by six goals on its home turf, the Black & Gold will advance past Real España and into the Round of 16. Given LAFC’s healthy lead and the current workload on its players, Tuesday could present an opportunity for Dos Santos to explore his side’s depth. LAFC stands amid a glut of games—four in 12 days. The last of those is a 1,400-mile flight to Houston this Saturday to face the Dynamo in an MLS regular-season game.
Asked whether Tuesday might provide an opportunity for players who haven’t gotten many minutes so far this year to see some action, Dos Santos said, “I’ve always said that everyone’s going to be important in the run we have. With four games in [twelve] days we’re going to need everyone to play a part.”
Of note: Bouanga is tied with Luka Romero of Cruz Azul for most goals so far in the competition (3). Bouanga won the Concacaf Champions Cup Golden Boot in 2023.
Son currently leads the tournament in assists (3) and goal contributions (4).
SINCE WE LAST MET
On Saturday night LAFC began its 2026 MLS regular season with a 3-0 win over reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami CF in the second-highest attended game in MLS history.
With 75,673 watching inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, David Martínez (38'), Denis Bouanga (73'), and Nathan Ordaz (90+4') handled the scoring while LAFC’s swarming defense allowed just three shots on target to reach Lloris, who stopped all three.
On Friday, Feb. 20, Real España jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Lobos UPNFM in a league match in Honduras’ first division, before conceding three times in the second half to escape with a 4-3 win. Midfielders Benavidez and Nixon Cruz scored one goal each for Real España; striker Eddie Hernandez scored two.
ABOUT REAL ESPAÑA
Nicknamed Los Aurinegros (gold and black), Real Club Deportivo España was founded 96 years ago and plays in Honduras’ top division, the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras. Real España has won the league title 12 times and earned its place in this year’s CCC by reaching the semifinals of the 2025 Central American Cup.
As detailed in last week’s first-leg preview, Real España goalie Luis “Buba” Lopez played for LAFC in 2018 while on loan from Real España. The Honduras international has earned more than 50 caps for his national team.
ABOUT CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP
The 61st edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup will be played between February and May 2026, and features the top 27 clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Round One will begin in early February, followed by the Round of 16 in March, the Quarterfinals in April, the Semifinals spanning April and May, and the Final on Saturday, May 30.
ROUNDS AND DATES
Round One: February 3–26, 2026
Round of 16: March 10–19, 2026
Quarterfinals: April 7–16, 2026
Semifinals: April 28–May 7, 2026
Final: Saturday, May 30, 2026
LAFC’s MLS home opener at BMO Stadium is scheduled for March 7 against FC Dallas. Visit the club’s 2026 schedule and season ticket membership pages for more information.
