Saturday, March 7 | 7:30 p.m. PT
🏟 | BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
🖥 | WATCH: Apple TV | Coupang Play (Korea), SpoTV (Korea), Local Bar Partners
📻 | LISTEN: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera (Spanish), & KYPA 1230 AM (Korean)
Off to the best start in the club’s nine-year history, LAFC seeks to extend its season-opening winning streak to five games when FC Dallas comes to LA on Saturday night for the year’s first regular-season home game at BMO Stadium.
The Black & Gold has won its first four contests of the season across all competitions, besting the three consecutive wins it recorded at the beginning of 2023.
With a win on Saturday, LAFC would set a new franchise mark of three straight wins to start an MLS regular season, a feat it has never accomplished before.
LAFC’S BEST STARTS IN MLS REGULAR SEASON:
2023: first 8 games unbeaten (WWDWDWWDL)
2019: first 7 games unbeaten (WWDWWWWL)
2022: first 5 games unbeaten (WDWWWL)
So far in MLS play, the Black & Gold has yet to concede a goal while scoring a total of five against Inter Miami (3-0 win Feb. 21) and Houston (2-0 win Feb. 28). Those five goals have been scored by five different players.
LAFC is one of four teams in the Western Conference to have taken all six points from its two games. FC Dallas sits in eighth place in the West with a record of 1W-0L-1D after two home matches: a 3-2 defeat of Toronto FC on opening weekend and last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Nashville SC.
RUNNING DOWN THE ROSTERS
LAFC forward Son Heung-Min is tied for the league lead in assists, with three (Dreyer, SD). The Black & Gold’s all-time leading scorer, Denis Bouanga, is tied for the league lead in shots, with 12 (Messi, MIA).
LAFC and Dallas have each used 17 players so far this season. LAFC has started the same eleven in both of its regular-season contests: goalkeeper Hugo Lloris; defenders Eddie Segura, Ryan Porteous, Nkosi Tafari, and Sergi Palencia; midfielders Mark Delgado, Stephen Eustáquio, and Timmy Tillman; and forwards Son, Bouanga, and David Martínez.
FC Dallas made just one change to its starting lineup last weekend, with Patrickson Delgado replacing Ramiro Benetti at defensive midfielder. The rest of FCD’s eleven has consisted of goalkeeper Michael Collodi; defenders Sebastien Ibeagha, Osaze Urhoghide, Shaq Moore, and Herman Johansson; midfielders Bernard Kamungo, Kaick, and Christian Cappis; and forwards Petar Musa and Logan Farrington.
SCOUTING DALLAS
Dallas usually plays in a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 shape and is willing to play without the ball and rely on transition moments to create chances. Head coach Eric Quill’s side held just 46.7 percent possession in its 3-2 win over Toronto on Matchday 1, taking just three shots on goal (and scoring on all three), with an xG (expected goals) mark of 1.5 compared to Toronto’s 1.6.
The numbers were largely the same for Dallas in its scoreless draw against Nashville last week: 46.1 percent possession, with two shots on goal and a slim xG advantage of 0.9 to 0.6.
Musa, a Designated Player and Croatian international who turned 28 this week, tied for fifth in MLS last season with 18 goals scored.
THE SERIES
LAFC owns a 7W-4-3D advantage over Dallas in their 14 previous meetings, with 21 goals scored and 16 conceded. Dallas has never won in Los Angeles in seven tries (0W-6L-1D), scoring three goals at BMO Stadium while conceding 13.
LAFC WILL WIN IF
Tafari, Segura, and Porteous hold Musa in check. The lanky Croatian striker has a gift for popping up in the box and finishing before opponents know what happened. LAFC right back Sergi Palencia will continue playing high and joining the Black & Gold attack, leaving the task of tracking Musa to the three central defenders in front of Lloris.
FC DALLAS CAN WIN IF
Collodi stands tall in goal. The 24-year-old Homegrown was the MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024 and followed that up with a rookie season in MLS last year that made longtime FCD goalie Maarten Paes expendable. Collodi kept Dallas in games in 2025 with his shot-stopping, making 12 appearances across all competitions and twice earning MLS Team of the Matchday honors.
