Saturday, March 14 | 7:30 p.m. PT
š | BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
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LAFC, one of three MLS clubs to post three clean sheets and three victories in its first three matches this season, welcomes St. Louis CITY SC to BMO Stadium for an early-season Western Conference clash on Saturday night. For the Black & Gold, the match caps a season-opening run of seven matches in 26 days. LAFC has gone 5W-0L-1D in that span in MLS and Concacaf Champions Cup, outscoring opponents 14-2.Ā
DANGER UP TOP
Perennial MLS Golden Boot contender Denis Bouanga has scored five goals in all competitions so far in 2026. On Tuesday night Bouanga scored his fourth goal in 2026 Champions Cup (in a 1-1 draw with Alajuelense), making him that competitionās top scorer. David MartĆnez leads the club with two goals in MLS play, with four players tallying one goal each.
Son Heung-Min assisted on Bouangaās midweek goal. The Korean forward, who will play in his fourth FIFA World Cup this summer, has seven assists in all competitions this season, including three in MLS. Those three assists equal his total from last season, which he reached over 10 appearances.
Bouanga and midfielder Stephen EustƔquio have been credited with two assists each in MLS play this season.
EustĆ”quio and defenders Eddie Segura and NkosiĀ Tafari are the only three field players who have not come off the field for LAFC in MLS play, logging all 270 possible minutes along with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. LAFC has not conceded a goal in those 270 MLS minutes and has only conceded two goals in 540 total minutes, includingĀ Champions Cup.
SCOUTING ST. LOUIS
Entering its fourth season in MLS, St. Louis CITY SC brought on a new head coach, Yoann Damet, a 35-year-old Frenchman whoĀ spent the last three years as an assistant coach under Wilfried Nancy with the Columbus Crew and was a member of the Crewās winning MLS Cup (2023) and Leagues Cup (2024) teams.Ā
Dametās team has yet to earn its first point and has scored one goal in three matches. That strike was made by Marcel Hartel in a 1-1 home draw against Charlotte on Matchday 1.
STL CITY SC IN 2026:
Matchday 1Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā STL 1-1 CLT
Matchday 2Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā SD 2-0 STL
Matchday 3Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā STL 0-1 SEA
Backed by 2023 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Roman BĆ¼rki, Cityās defending has been strong. The club has conceded just four goals in three matches while its attack seeks its groove.
Twenty-five-year-old midfielder Conrad Wallem, who joined STL on loan last year fromĀ Ā SK Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic, was acquired permanently a month ago has started as a defender, midfielder and forward for City this season.
Last week, Cedric Teuchert made his first start for St. Louis since July 2025; the dangerous attacker missed most of last season with a lower body injury.
Former LAFC defender Mamadou Fall joined St. Louis in the offseason. A fan favorite during his time in Los Angeles, the 23-year-old Senegal nativeĀ made his MLS debut at 18 for the Black & Gold and scoredĀ sixĀ goalsĀ inĀ 42Ā appearancesĀ across all competitions before LAFC loaned him in August 2022 to Spanish club Villareal, followed by Barcelona.Ā Ā
Forward Jeong Sang-bin (below) is a teammate of Son Heung-Minās on the South Korean National Team. With eight career MLS goals and four assists Jeong is a creative threat on the wing.
THE SERIES
LAFC leads its all-time series with St. Louis 4W-0L-2D. Prior to last spring, St. Louis had never scored against LAFC over four matches. Teuchert broke that dry spell in the teamsā April 27, 2025, match at BMO Stadium. LAFC trailed that match 2-1, deep in extra time, before Bouanga took off on a vintage sprint-and-finish (below) that tied the score and was later named a finalist for 2025 MLS Goal of the Year. The draw provided St. Louis its second point in the series over six total matches:
LAFC VS. ST. LOUIS CITY SC | ALL-TIME:
2025 awayĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā STL 0-3 LAFC
2025 homeĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā LAFC 2-2 STL
2024 homeĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā LAFC 1-0 STL
2024 awayĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā STL 0-2 LAFC
2023 awayĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā STL 0-0 LAFC
2023 homeĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā LAFC 3-0 STL
ST. LOUIS CITY CAN WIN IF
Its front three clicks. City has started three different front lines in 2026, with striker Simon Becher as the only forward to start all three matches. If Becher and fellow attackers Jeong, Teuchert, and Marcel Hartel (arguably the teamās best and most consistent player in 2025) can click with their midfielders, combine with one another, and force LAFCās unforgiving back line into a rare mistake, new head coach Damet could earn points against LAFC for just the third time in series history.Ā
LAFC CAN WIN IF
It breaks down the low defensive block that the visitors are likely to employ. Playing with an aggressive high line is a tough task against the Black & Gold, and most of LAFCās opponents so far have chosen not to provide space for Bouanga, Son, MartĆnez, and company to run into. If St. Louis adopts those tactics Saturday night, LAFC must find a way to cut through the eight to ten men positioned in front of one of MLSās best goalies (BĆ¼rki).
