LAFC opened the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 win over Austin FC in Game 1 of their Round One Best-of-3 series. Nathan Ordaz scored the eventual game-winning goal, his first-ever postseason goal, in the 79th minute to give LAFC the win.
The Black & Gold takes a 1-0 series lead into Game 2, which will be played at Q2 Stadium in Austin on Sunday, November 2. That game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. PT and can be seen live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and FS1, with radio coverage available on 710 AM ESPN, the ESPN LA app, KYPA 1230 AM (Korean), and 980 AM La Mera Mera (Spanish). With a win in Game 2, LAFC would advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. If Austin FC wins, Game 3 will be played at BMO Stadium on Saturday, November 8.
LAFC came out on the front foot in search of an opener with Denis Bouanga seeing an early chance blocked out for a corner kick from inside the box. The home side would eventually pull in front in the 20th minute thanks to the work of Ryan Hollingshead. The all-time leader for postseason goals by a defender in MLS, Hollingshead got free inside the penalty area and cut past one defender before hitting a low cross that deflected off of Austin FC defender Brendan Hines-Ike and into the net, giving LAFC a 1-0 lead.
The score would stay that way until just after the hour mark when Austin equalized through Jon Gallagher. Nkosi Tafari attempted to clear a cross away from the center of the penalty area, but his header was blocked by Myrto Uzuni, who was able to prod the ball to Owen Wolff. Wolff played a quick pass to Gallagher who slotted his shot into the net from close range, tying the score at 1-1.
Nathan Ordaz, who last appeared for LAFC in a playoff game in 2023, entered the match in the 74th minute and gave LAFC the lead five minutes later. Son collected a pass in the center of the park and ran at the heart of the Austin defense before sliding a pass to Bouanga racing ahead on the left. Bouanga’s shot was deflected by a sliding defender past the outstretched arm of Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver, allowing Ordaz to race in at the back post and provide the final touch, giving LAFC a 2-1 lead and eventual victory in front of a capacity crowd of 22,142.
NOTES
- With the win, LAFC is now 10W-6L-1D all-time in the MLS Cup Playoffs, including a 9-3-1 mark under head coach Steve Cherundolo.
- This is the second all-time postseason meeting between LAFC and Austin FC with LAFC having beaten Austin in the 2022 Western Conference Final at BMO Stadium.
- LAFC is 8W-3L-1D all-time at home in the postseason.
- This is the third season of the Best-of-3 series in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs. LAFC is 3W-0L-0D in Game 1 of those series, having also beaten Vancouver at home in 2023 and 2024.
- LAFC took a 1-0 lead thanks to an own goal. That was the third own goal scored for LAFC in its 17 postseason matches.
- LAFC has played three MLS Cup Playoff games against teams from Texas and has benefitted from an own goal in each contest. The Black & Gold defeated Austin 3-0 in the 2022 Western Conference Final with the second goal coming via an own goal. In 2023, LAFC defeated Houston 2-0 in the Western Conference Final with the second goal of that game coming via an own goal.
- Nathan Ordaz scored the first postseason goal of his MLS career in the 79th minute. He is the first LAFC homegrown player to score a goal in the playoffs.
- Ordaz is the 16th different LAFC player to score a postseason goal and the seventh different player to score a game-winning goal.
- Prior to tonight, Denis Bouanga had scored in LAFC’s postseason opener in each of the past three seasons, scoring five times in those three games. Bouanga is LAFC’s all-time leading scorer in the MLS Cup Playoffs with eight goals in 13 games.
- Six LAFC players - Mathieu Choinière, Mark Delgado, Son Heung-Min, Jailson, Ryan Porteous, and Nkosi Tafari - made their LAFC postseason debuts in the game. Three of those six (Son, Jailson, and Porteous) made their MLS postseason debut in the game.
