Channel 1 Los Angeles
by Sharon Orellana
The draw snapped LAFC’s five-game winning streak to open the 2026 campaign, leaving the club with a 5-0-1 record in all competitions. LAFC outshot Alajuelense 28-4 and placed 11 shots on target but could only get one past goalkeeper Washington Ortega, setting up a decisive second leg next week in Costa Rica.
courtesy LAFC
That game will be played at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 17. LAFC will advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in club history with a win or any draw other than 0-0 or 1-1. A 1-1 tie over 90 minutes will see the series go to extra time while a 0-0 draw or Alajuelense win will knock LAFC out of the Champions Cup.
LAFC registered the first 13 shots of the game, but it was Alajuenlense who took a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute with its first shot of the game. With one of its only attacking forays of the opening half, Alajenlense was able to set Creichel Pérez free down the right wing. His cross was headed away by Ryan Porteous in the center of the box, but only as far as Alejandro Bran, who hit a first time volley from 25 yards out into the corner of the net, sending the visitors into the halftime break with a 1-0 advantage.
Early in the second half, LAFC equalized when Denis Bouanga, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in Concacaf competitions, scored his fourth goal of the 2026 Champions Cup. Son Heung-Min collected a pass near the top of the penalty area and deftly cut past a pair of defenders before playing a pass out to the left. Amin Boudri let the ball run past him to the feet of Bouanga who rifled a right-footed shot inside the far post, tying the score at 1-1 in the 56th minute.
The home side would continue to pepper the Alajuelense goal, taking 15 shots and placing seven on target in the second half, but was unable to find the winner as the game finished 1-1.
The Black & Gold will return to league play on Saturday, March 14, when it hosts St. Louis CITY at BMO Stadium. That game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m