LAFC survived its trip to Costa Rica and advanced to the Quarterfinals of the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, defeating Costa Rican club L.D. Alajuelense 2-1 on Tuesday night in the deciding second leg of their two-game, Round-of-16 series in Concacaf Champions Cup.
LAFC takes the series 3-2 on aggregate goals and moves on to the CCC Quarterfinals to face the winner of the two-leg, Round-of-16 series between Liga MX clubs Cruz Azul and Monterrey, whose second leg kicked off shortly after the LAFC-Alajuelense match ended. The Quarterfinal will be played over two legs, home and away, between April 7 and April 16. Match times and broadcast information will be released at a later date.Â
On a muggy, dramatic night at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica, the home side took an early lead on a fourth-minute goal by defender Santiago van der Putten. Alajuelense's 1-0 advantage lasted through halftime.Â
LAFC’s Nathan Ordaz scored in the 51st to tie the match at 1-1 and the series at 2-2 on aggregate.
In the 88th minute LAFC's Denis Bouanga eluded a defender at the end line but saw his shot denied by the crossbar.
In the second minute of stoppage time, with extra time and possibly penalty kicks looming ahead, LAFC’s David MartÃnez scored on a scintillating goal struck from just outside the penalty area to take the match and the series and push LAFC into the next round.
The Black & Gold will be back in action on Saturday, March 21, when it visits Austin FC at Q2 Stadium at 5:45 p.m. PT.
Following the FIFA international break, LAFC returns to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 4, when Orlando City visits.
All MLS matches are broadcast live on Apple TV. Local radio coverage is available on ESPN LA 710 AM, the ESPN LA app, KFWB La Mera Mera 980 AM (Spanish), and K-Radio 1230 (Korean).
NOTES:Â
- With the win, LAFC remains unbeaten in 2026, moving its record to 7-0-1. It is 3-0-1 in the Champions Cup and 4-0-0 in MLS this year.
- The club improves to 13-8-2 in 23 games all-time in Concacaf competition.
- In LAFC’s only previous visit to Costa Rica, the club beat Alajuelense 3-0 in the first leg of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 thanks to a Denis Bouanga hat trick, his first-ever for the club. LAFC would go on to win that series 4-2 on aggregate.Â
- LAFC has won both of its away matches in the Champions Cup this year, first defeating Honduran side Real España 6-1 in the First Round and now Alajuelense.Â
- LAFC last won two away matches in Champions Cup play in 2023 when it defeated Alajuelense 3-0 in the First Round and the Vancouver Whitecaps by the same score in the Quarter Finals. Â
- The goal for Ordaz was his third all time in the competition. He scored in the 2025 edition against the Columbus Crew and Inter Miami. Â
- MartÃnez’s strike was his fourth of the season across all competitions and second in Champions Cup play – a tally that puts him within two of his career season-high of six goals for LAFC, which he achieved last year. Â
- Mark Delgado’s two assists mark the first time he has notched two assists in one game since on March 2, 2024, for the LA Galaxy in a 3-1 regular season win against the San Jose Earthquakes. It is the third time in his club career that he has notched multiple primary assists in a game. Â
- Eight LAFC players (Denis Bouanga, Mathieu Choinière, Ryan Hollingshead, David MartÃnez, Nathan Ordaz, Son Heung-Min, Nkosi Tafari, and Timothy Tillman) have appeared in all four of the club’s Champions Cup games this year. Three (Bouanga, Son, and Tafari) have started all four games.
