After opening up 2026 on the road, and kicking off the MLS campaign at LA Memorial Coliseum, LAFC were finally, officially, at home for the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Real España. They set themselves up real nice following the 6-1 thumping of the Honduran side in the first leg, giving them an early opportunity to perhaps rest a few key players with the schedule already thick as this is the third of four matches in a 10 day span. That said, it’s still early in the season and this is a team that wants to avoid the typical slow start to seasons, while continuing to build on their fast start, keeping the win streak going.
The Starting XI for #LAFCvRES#LAFC | @TheChampions pic.twitter.com/gkxcyI238W
— LAFC (@LAFC) February 25, 2026
While there was some rotation, as expected, it wasn’t a lot heading into tonights match as LAFC looked to really slam the door shut and finish the job. That said, it was a bit of a surprise to see the only attacking change be the exclusion of David Martínez from the starting lineup. Denis and Son definitely didn’t feel like a need tonight, and with this being a critical year for his development along with his fast start to the season, it might’ve been nice to see Martínez have the chance to keep that starting form rolling.
Tactical strategy aside, the message and goal seemed clear, finish the job, put España away early, and have a chance to coast it out in the final 45 minutes. Unlike the first meeting, the first 25 minutes of this one were relatively quiet with neither side threatening on goal. To Los Angeles’ credit, it wasn’t a case of them coasting or not keen on it, as they were pressing early and often, but they just couldn’t find that final pass to free up one of their attackers to get a clear shot on goal. The first half came and went without either side adding to their aggregate tally, which obviously suited LAFC well who went into break still holding on to their five goal advantage. There was was a combined three shots on target with LAFC earning two of those, and a combined total of just five shots in a half that didn’t so much of anything in the form of attack from either side.
LAFC started the second half providing some minutes to a couple of youngsters as Jude Terry and Nathan Ordaz replaced Heung-Min Son and Denis Bouanga respectively to kickoff the final 45 minutes. The best chance through nearly 60 minutes of play came from LAFC when Amin Boudri finally broke through the España defense and put a pass together that fell for Nathan Ordaz in front of goal with just enough space to get a shot off. Unfortunately, his effort couldn’t quite find the target, keeping the match scoreless. but it showed LAFC weren’t just content in riding out the draw, they wanted to score and leave the stadium with a win.
It took a while, but in the 64th minute LAFC finally broke through and found their goal. A free kick to the far post found Timothy Tillman, who was also subbed in to start the second half and was also just onside, for a shot that was initially saved but not controlled. Defender Nkosi Tafari was there for the second chance effort and he slammed it into the back of the net for the lead and his first goal of the season.
Tafari with the follow-up to open the scoring 🙌pic.twitter.com/HmBds4gVX1
— LAFC (@LAFC) February 25, 2026
In the 88th minute of the match España were handed a lifeline, at least for this occasion, as they earned a late penalty when their attacker was brought down in the box as he tried to spin his way through the defense. Perhaps it was a case of ball never lies, or perhaps just the incredible shot-stopping skills of Thomas Hasal, but the effort from the penalty spot was stopped in its tracks and the shutout remained in tact for what ended up being the last shot of the night. The final whistle blew and while it wasn’t nearly as impressive as their previous two wins, the 1-0 shutout at home to close out the tie was a professional win from LAFC who didn’t allow many shots on their goal, while taking advantage of their chances. The hot start continues, and now they look to carry that momentum into their next match on the road against Houston Dynamo, where they haven’t won in several years.
Thoughts on the win to advance into the next round of Champions Cup? Leave a comment below!