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LAFC expecting its ‘toughest opponent’ in CONCACAF showdown with Cruz Azul

April 7, 2026

Of all the aspects that stand out about the Los Angeles Football Club’s impressive start to 2026, the players’ competitiveness pleases head coach Marc Dos Santos the most.

The few times over the team’s 8-0-2 run when they have suffered. The numerous moments when they could have lost focus while holding onto a large lead. In games and training, regardless of the situation, the team’s intensity and spirit has remained consistently high.

When things clicked, LAFC has been a juggernaut, outscoring opponents 24-3 and collecting seven shutouts during its best-ever start. When things didn’t go as smoothly, grit and determination made the difference.

In the midst of this fast start, LAFC acted more like a team fighting its way out of a hole than the early-season Supporters’ Shield leader and last unbeaten club in MLS that it is.

Dos Santos called that trait a strength of the staff and players.

“If you would be with us all week here you would be like, ‘Man, they speak like they’re in last place,’” Dos Santos said. “We’re very hard on ourselves. What’s the next level? Where do we need to go to get better? Where do we need to get some of our guys in better positions? So that’s everything.”

The pending first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup home-and-away quarterfinal series on Tuesday night at BMO Stadium against Mexican power Cruz Azul should help shape the answers to those persistent questions.

It’s early yet, but not too soon to wonder how good LAFC can be in 2026 … even if the players and coaches aren’t concerned with such things themselves.

“There’s always high expectations at LAFC,” Dos Santos noted. “Always asking how good can we be? So we don’t focus on that.

“We are a humble group, a group that knows exactly what needs to be done.”

A 6-0 rout of Orlando City SC at home on Saturday (LAFC is 5-0-1 at BMO Stadium, with six shutouts) did not leave much to pick apart, nor did it “make us overconfident” ahead of Tuesday’s “very demanding test,” indicated defender Sergi Palencia.

“It’s great to have the squad that we have and it’s huge for us to prepare for Cruz Azul,” the fullback said. “We were talking about that. I think it’s going to be the best team we are going to face this season.”

Last year’s CONCACAF champion is currently four points behind Chivas de Guadalajara for the top spot with four games left in Liga MX’s Clausura tournament.

Rolling Vancouver FC in the first round of CONCACAF, La Máquina (“The Machine”) then outplayed Monterrey to reach its 11th quarterfinal. The nearly 100-year-old club has lost twice in this round, including to LAFC when the 2020 single-elimination edition was held at a neutral site in Orlando due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Standing up to Mexican teams, LAFC is unbeaten against them in five encounters the previous two seasons. They are 4-2 against Liga MX in CONCACAF play, losing a pair of finals to Tigres (2020) and León (2023).

Dispatching Honduran side Real España and Costa Rica’s Alajuelense to reach the quarterfinals for a fourth straight time, the series concludes April 14 at Cruz Azul’s temporary home, Estadio Cuauhtémoc, located in Puebla, some 85 miles from their vaunted grounds at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which was refurbished for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

“In my opinion, they are our toughest opponent,” Dos Santos said. “Along with [Inter] Miami, Cruz Azul is the most difficult adversary we will face this year. Believe me when I say that we know what awaits us on Tuesday, and we will be ready for it.”

CRUZ AZUL at LAFC

What: CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal, first leg

When: Tuesday: 7 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV/Radio: FS2, TUDN/1330 AM

Orange County Register

News Details

LAFC expecting its ‘toughest opponent’ in CONCACAF showdown with Cruz Azul

CRUZ AZUL at LAFC

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