For a lot of clubs, having the season LAFC had in 2025 would be considered a massive success. The team had a deep playoff run that saw them reach the conference semifinals, they were participants on the global stage in the 2025 Club World Cup taking on the best teams from leagues around the world, and they reached the quarterfinals in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. But LAFC aren’t most clubs, and for a club with the aspirations and expectations that they set upon themselves, finishing 2025 without a trophy to their name, feels like a failed season. This is a team that expects to not just compete for silverware, but more times than not, win it. However, this year, they found themselves leaving the pitch disappointed and empty handed more than they would have liked.
Thank you for the support all season long 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/IPX6TycZaC
— LAFC (@LAFC) November 24, 2025
Road woes early… and often
Even before the MLS regular season got underway, the struggles away from home were rearing their ugly head. The first match of the season, a Concacaf Champions Cup match in Colorado against the Rapids, ended in a loss. It wasn’t just the final scoreline either, but those who saw the match saw a team that struggled to get anything going offensively, struggled to get past what was, to be frank, an inferior opponent. However, many chalked it up to first-match rust, and it looked that way when LAFC enjoyed shutout wins in their next four matches, though all were at home. The moment they went on the road again, it was disastrous. Of their first seven matches away from Los Angeles, the team won just once, a 2-0 win over Sporting KC, while losing the other six matches. Not just the losses but how they lost, was cause for concern. A 0-1 loss to a bottom of the table Houston Dynamo, a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of the Sounders, a 3-1 drubbing that saw them eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup at the hands of Inter Miami. It wasn’t great. The worst part is looking at the way the season ended, with the team finishing strong, but also finishing just three points off the top of the West. Three points, that was the difference in having to travel to Vancouver for the Western Conference semifinals and having the road to the MLS Cup Final run through Los Angeles. Three points, making those early season road struggles that much more hurtful.
Part of our History.
Thank you, Coach. Forever Black & Gold.
— LAFC (@LAFC) December 1, 2025
The end of an era
Shortly into the 2025 campaign, we got the announcement that Head Coach Steve Cherundolo was stepping  down as coach of LAFC at the end of the season to return to Europe. “It is an honor to be the head coach of LAFC,” Cherundolo said in a statement at the time of his announcement.  “After much reflection and discussion with my family, we made the decision that at the end of this year we will return to Germany. I love Los Angeles and LAFC, but this move is in the best interest of my family, even as it will ultimately take us away from a team, city, organization and fan base that I am proud to represent. I am looking forward to continuing our work with the players, coaches and staff to make the 2025 season a success as we keep fighting to win trophies.”
His tenure with the club will be a mixed bag. Many will see him as a manager that didn’t do enough. Yes he got the team into a handful of finals, but outside of two, lost them all. He was a coach that at times didn’t play the most aesthetically pleasing style of football. He did however, guide the team to its first-ever MLS Cup championship win in 2022, he was also at the helm when the team won its first-ever U.S. Open Cup trophy. This season, was arguably the most disappointing under his management. The team never really seemed to find consistency, the woes away from home, the poor showing on the world’s stage at the Club World Cup. While many had hopes he would ride into the sunset with a few more trophies in hand, instead the unceremonious elimination in MLS Cup Playoffs, unfortunately, have a lot of fans ready for the next era of LAFC football. That said, he will always be cherished for the memories and for doing his one big one in 2022.
Son Heung-Min is Black & Gold.
Son Heung-Min signs for #LAFC from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent transfer through 2027 with options through June 2029.
— LAFC (@LAFC) August 6, 2025
New arrival, new hopes, greater expectations
You can pinpoint the exact moment the season changed for the better for LAFC. It was the day they signed and  brought in Son Heung-Min from Tottenham in England’s Premier League. Up to that point the team was hovering close to the playoff line, struggling to find their rhythm, and laboring for results. Son was more than a spark, he set the league ablaze and was a catalyst for a run that saw LAFC finish third in the West, going right up until the final days of the season in a fight for the top spot in the conference. While the ending scenes of him missing the penalty will likely haunt him a lot more than it will fans, you can’t deny the team likely wouldn’t have been in that situation had it not been for the new number 7. With a full offseason under his belt, and a new manager coming in, all eyes will be on Son coming into 2026. If expectations for LAFC weren’t already always high, having shown what he can do from the start will have expectations for next season once again centered around silverware or bust.
Locked in for @TheChampions Cup. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wnhO1EkjqW
— LAFC (@LAFC) November 30, 2025
Competing for it all, again, in 2026
2026 will be another season of expectations and opportunities for the black & gold. The team has learned they have done enough to qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and will once again be aiming to, at the very least, compete for the MLS Cup. Regardless of who the next head coach is, they will inherit a very formidable roster, and a whole lot of expectations. This is a club that is craving success. As we mentioned, Cherundolo did well to get this side, consistently, into the finals of most competitions they played in, but unfortunately, were unable to get over that hump. Not just fans, but players, staff members and executives alike all feel like LAFC is the type of club that needs to win something every season. Whether it be US Open Cups, Concacaf tournaments, or the MLS Cup. What’s clear is another year without a trophy wont be accepted, not with this roster. There will be time to go over true expectations for this club next season, they still need to name a head coach after all. But its safe to say that nothing will be lowered, very little grace given, and making up for what was a rollercoaster season at best with some silverware, will be the bare minimum requirement for calling 2026 a success come this point next year.
Thoughts on how the 2025 season went for LAFC? Drop us a comment below with how you feel!