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LAFC seeks 1st win over San Diego, but there’s a catch

May 2, 2026

The only time the Los Angeles Football Club visited San Diego for a Major League Soccer match, the club and its traveling supporters heard a crowd of 32,505 at Snapdragon Stadium chant “Beat L.A.!” in celebration of the first MLS expansion team to ever accomplish that.

Six previous newcomers to the league with an opportunity to beat LAFC since 2019 were dismissed by a combined score of 15-1. But on the way to finishing atop the Western Conference in 2025, San Diego FC’s breakthrough win in the spring was backed up a few months later with a triumph at BMO Stadium, which turned out to be the only loss among the 10 regular-season games that Son Heung-min appeared in for LAFC after arriving in August.

Collecting those half-dozen points at the Black & Gold’s expense proved to be massive on Decision Day, and third-place LAFC finished three points off the pace set by No. 1 seed SDFC.

Saturday’s date would have been one that many LAFC fans circled with interest as the 2026 schedule was released. But because the natural derby is sandwiched between two CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal legs pitting LAFC and Toluca FC, it presents more like a nuisance than an exciting clash of rivals.

For several weeks leading up to Saturday, Dos Santos spoke on the record about how the game should be moved to accommodate his team as best as possible before the difficult second match against Toluca at 8,750 feet. A reprieve did not happen, of course, so Dos Santos said he must be careful about whom he plays. Some regulars will be left off the matchday roster. Others rotated.

“We’re going to keep doing that,” said Dos Santos, who will employ predominantly young talent and veteran backups in search of a result.

Homegrown forward Nathan Ordaz said LAFC is “looking to win, expecting to win, and just be positive.”

Sitting out against Toluca on Wednesday due to a one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation, playmaker Denis Bouanga should log minutes this weekend for LAFC (6-2-2, 20 points).

“He is the type of player that needs rhythm,” Dos Santos said.

Whatever happens in LAFC’s return to San Diego, the “Beat L.A.!” chants are likely to pop up again. If recent history repeats, new cries could come from the crowd, too.

Following SDFC’s last game, supporters called out for Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, the star Mexican Designated Player who was sidelined by the organization coming into Year 2 after reported clashes with the coaching staff and his teammates.

SDFC (3-5-2, 11 points) started strong without Lozano. Advancing beyond the first round of CONCACAF and taking three straight MLS victories, SDFC seemed poised to continue its quick-winning ways regardless of his availability. Then in mid-March, Toluca dispatched San Diego from the Champions Cup Round of 16. Injuries took their toll and the team nosedived.

A 2-1 loss at home last weekend to Portland marked San Diego’s fifth straight defeat, leaving them with two of 21 possible points over the past seven MLS matches. Coupled with their highest-priced player languishing off the field, fans were compelled to voice their displeasure the same week that SDFC head coach Mikey Varas reiterated there was “no chance” Lozano would be brought back.

San Diego’s trials and tribulations matter not to LAFC.

“The reality is we don’t really care about their run,” Dos Santos said. “If it’s positive or negative, it doesn’t mean anything if it’s one game.

“We never beat them. It starts with that. So huge respect for their team and their organization.”

LAFC at San Diego FC

When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

TV/Radio: Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM, 1230 AM

Orange County Register

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LAFC seeks 1st win over San Diego, but there’s a catch

LAFC at San Diego FC

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