LAFC fell 3-1 to Sporting Kansas City Saturday night at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The result places LAFC at 11W-8L-7D on the season, with eight games remaining before the MLS Cup Playoffs begin.
SKC newcomer André Luiz scored in the 18th minute with a left-footed shot from the right side of the box, assisted by Justin Reynolds, to give the home side a 1-0 lead. Sporting doubled its lead when Taylor Calheira finished with a header from the center of the box in the 31st minute, providing SKC with a 2-0 lead that held through halftime.
LAFC came out renewed in the second half, with Denis Bouanga tapping home an assist from Jacob Shaffelburg at the 47' mark to cut the SKC lead to 2-1. But that was as close as the visitors would get, as SKC Homegrown Jacob Bartlett came upon a loose ball at the top of the area in the 71st minute and drove it home to complete the evening's scoring and give Sporting the 3-1 win, just its fifth victory of the year.
LAFC will be back in action on Saturday, September 19, when the club continues its road stretch with a visit to San Jose, Calif., to face the Earthquakes. That game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Apple TV, as well as Coupang Play and SPOTV for fans in Korea. Local radio coverage will be available on 710 AM ESPN, the ESPN LA app, KYPA 1230 AM (Korean), and 980 AM La Mera Mera (Spanish).
NOTES
- With the result, LAFC is now 11W-8L-7D for 40 points this season and 17-9-11 in all competitions, having gone 5-1-2 in the Concacaf Champions Cup and 1-0-2 in Leagues Cup.
- All-time, LAFC is now 10-4-3 against SKC in MLS regular-season play.
- Denis Bouanga’s goal was his 13th in MLS this season and 20th across all competitions for the club in 2026. The goal ties him with Carlos Vela for most MLS regular-season goals in LAFC history, with 78.
- Jacob Shaffelburg’s assist was his fourth of the season, a total that ties the highest number of assists he’s recorded in a single MLS season. He also reached four assists in 2024 with Nashville SC.
- Forward Armindo Sieb, who was acquired from Bayern Munich during the recent transfer window, made his first start for the club tonight – one game after scoring his first goal for the Black & Gold on Sept. 9.
- Tonight also marked the first start for LAFC midfielder Igor Jesus since he tore his ACL at FC Dallas on Aug. 23 of last year. Jesus made his first appearance of the season as a second half substitute earlier this week in a 2-0 win against Red Bull New York.
