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LAFC’s young guns are making an impact

March 14, 2026

Six games into the season, the Los Angeles Football Club has already called on 22 players to provide minutes.

With the exception of Venezuelan attacker David Martínez, nine of the 10 players Coach Marc Dos Santos has relied on for 300 or more minutes as LAFC hit the ground running are 26 or older.

That core group claimed five wins and a draw with support from the bench, earning nine points out of nine in MLS to keep up with high-flying San Diego FC, San Jose and Vancouver.

Only center back Nkosi Tafari has played every minute, as a talented roster pushes for time during a string of nine games in 33 days to start the year.

While Dos Santos has favored more experienced options to get the most out of his first chance to impress as head coach, younger talent is making an impact.

Martínez, 20, brought life and creativity, resembling the diamond he was billed to be while scoring three times, including game-winners against Inter Miami and FC Dallas.

“David’s been killing it lately, so that’s amazing for us and for him as well,” 22-year-old Nathan Ordaz said. “It just shows you can put trust in us younger guys.”

In 101 minutes so far, the Van Nuys homegrown attacker ranks as the lone substitute to score one of the club’s 14 goals.

“The depth just shows the quality of the team and pushes you to be better,” Ordaz said. “If you’re not awake, if you’re not ready then maybe the coach considers somebody else to go in at a certain time.”

Swedish midfielder Amin Boudri made a fine impression starting the last two CONCACAF Champions Cup matches. Since arriving in the winter as a key piece of Dos Santos’ vision for what LAFC (3-0-0) should look like on the field, Boudri’s output has been inventive, physical, ambitious and confident.

Opponents seem to bounce off his 5-foot-9, 163-pound frame, or he makes sure they do with positioning and timing like a martial artist on the field. Asked about his approach, Boudri said he’s naturally happy to make contact with others. As a kid he trained MMA, striking and grappling, with his friends in Stockholm.

That rough-and-tumble style plus serious one-on-one ability fits well into Dos Santos’ desire for LAFC to out-possess and dominate opponents. The early reviews suggest his wants are being met by the players, and vice versa.

“It’s a lot easier for everybody to get into the final third with our playing style now, I think,” Ordaz said. “The whole team pushes up. The whole team is one attacking. There’s a lot more opportunity for everybody to play their role to score. Against Houston, [Mark Delgado] and [Stephen Eustáquio] got the goals and it wasn’t one of the front three or four guys. That just shows that we’re setting up the team to win. Whoever ends up scoring that game ends up scoring.”

With Eustáquio ruled out for Saturday’s MLS regular-season home game against St. Louis City (0-2-1, one point) due to a leg issue, Boudri could make his debut starting assignment in regular-season play.

Unless Dos Santos chooses to rest his star forwards in advance of next Tuesday’s critical second leg in CONCACAF’s Round of 16 match against LD Alajuelense in Costa Rica, Ordaz will not have started in seven straight games after doing so twice alongside Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min during last season’s MLS Cup playoffs.

“We have such good players and it’s kind of a ‘who’s in form’ kind of thing I think,” Ordaz said. “So just make sure you stay focused and it makes everybody a better player.”

ST. LOUIS CITY at LAFC

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV: Apple TV, 980 AM, 1230 AM, Sirius XM channel 157

Orange County Register

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LAFC’s young guns are making an impact

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