LAFC defeated Deportivo Toluca F.C. of Liga MX, 2-1, in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium.
The result gives LAFC a 2-1 aggregate-goals lead headed into the second leg of the two-game, home-and-away series, which will be played on Wednesday, May 6, at Estadio Nemesio DÃez in Toluca, Mexico.
After a scoreless first half that produced only two total shots on goal between the two sides, LAFC midfielder Timmy Tillman scored on a long-range volley in the 51st minute to give the Black & Gold a 1-0 lead.Â
It looked like LAFC had added another at the 53-minute mark, but forward Jacob Shaffelburg’s goal was nullified by an offside call following a VAR check. Â
Toluca's Jesús Angulo tied the match 1-1 in the 73rd minute.
In the second minute of stoppage time, LAFC forward Son Heung-Min sent a free kick into the Toluca area that was headed home by defender Nkosi Tafari to make the score 2-1, completing the scoring and giving the Black & Gold a one-goal advantage in the aggregate headed into next week’s second leg. It was Son’s second assist of the match and his seventh of the tournament, which leads all players.
Kickoff for the second leg is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, May 6, in Toluca. The match will be broadcast live on FS1 and TUDN. The winner on aggregate goals advances to the Concacaf Champions Cup Final on May 30.
LAFC returns to MLS action this weekend with a road match against San Diego FC on Saturday, May 2, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT. All MLS matches are broadcast live on Apple TV, with local radio coverage on ESPN LA 710 AM, the ESPN LA app, KFWB La Mera Mera 980 AM (Spanish), and K-Radio 1230 AM (Korean).
NOTES
- With the win, LAFC is 11W-2L-4D in all competitions in 2026, including a 5-0-2 mark in the Champions Cup.
- At home this year, LAFC is 7W-1L-2D, including 3-0-1 in Concacaf play, outscoring opponents 7-2 in those four home CCC matches.
- Nkosi Tafari’s 91st-minute goal was LAFC’s second game-winning goal in stoppage time in a Champions Cup game this year. David MartÃnez also scored a late winner in the competition, with his 92nd-minute goal helping LAFC defeat Alajuelense in the second leg of their Round of 16 series and advance to the Quarterfinals.
- In the 2020, 2023, and 2025 Champions Cups, LAFC played 19 total games and scored four goals in second-half stoppage time. This year the club has three goals after the 90th minute in seven games.
- This is LAFC’s third trip to the Champions Cup Semifinals and the club is now 3W-0L-1D in this round of the competition, all-time. In addition to tonight’s win, the club also picked up a win and a draw against Philadelphia Union in the 2023 Champions League Semifinals, winning the series 4-1 on aggregate. In 2020, two goals from Carlos Vela and one from Latif Blessing helped LAFC defeat Club América 3-1 to advance to the Champions League Final for the first time.
- Both goal scorers for LAFC on Wed. night now have two goals in the 2026 Champions Cup. Tillman also scored in the 6-1 win away to Real España in Round One while Tafari scored in the second leg of that series.
- Son Heung-Min assisted on both LAFC goals tonight. He now has two goals and a competition-best seven assists in seven Champions Cup matches.
- Toluca’s goal was the first allowed by LAFC from open play in the Champions Cup since the fourth minute of LAFC’s 2-1 win away to Alajuelense in the second leg of their Round of 16 series. Between those goals, LAFC went 339 minutes without allowing a goal from open play, conceding just a penalty kick in the Quarterfinals against Cruz Azul.
- Since opening the season against Real España in the Concacaf Champions Cup on February 17, 71 days ago, LAFC has played 17 games in all competitions, meaning that the club has played a game every 4.18 days in that time.
- LAFC played without Denis Bouanga and Eddie Segura, who were each suspended for yellow card accumulation. This was the first game that Bouanga had not appeared in for LAFC dating back to August 5, 2025, against Tigres in Leagues Cup. Since that game, Bouanga had appeared in 29 consecutive games for LAFC in all competitions.
- Aaron Long made his first Champions Cup appearance of the year, starting in central defense, while Jacob Shaffelburg started for LAFC for the first time in the competition.
