LAFC Advances to 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals with 2-1 Victory at Alajuelense
MLS Los Angeles FC

LAFC Advances to 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals with 2-1 Victory at Alajuelense

Published on March 18, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Los Angeles FC News Release


Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) advanced to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals in dramatic fashion thanks to a last-minute goal from David Martínez that gave the Black & Gold a 2-1 road win against LD Alajuelense on Tuesday night.

LAFC fell behind early after a Hugo Lloris save led to a scramble in the box that resulted in Santiago van der Putten heading home in the 4th minute for a 1-0 advantage.

Much like the first leg back in Los Angeles, the Black & Gold dominated the match with over 60 percent of possession, much of it in Alajuelense's half, along with a solid advantage in shots and chances.

LAFC's pressure finally told at the start of the second half when a long ball into the penalty area by Black & Gold defender Nkosi Tafari was cleared right to the feet of Mark Delgado whose one-time layoff was smashed into the left side of Alajuelense's goal by the on-rushing Nathan Ordaz in the 51st minute.

As the game wore on, the hosts sank deeper into their side of the field, inviting LAFC forward. A Denis Bouanga bullet that careened off the crossbar in the 87th minute seemed to be as close as the visitors would get, but with 90 seconds left in regulation, Martínez put his side through with a moment of magic.

Picking up the ball from Delgado 35 yards away from goal, Martínez drove forward before unleashing a ferocious left-footed drive that flashed into the right side of the net in the second minute of added time, giving LAFC the 2-1 win.

The Black & Gold will face the winner of the Cruz Azul-Monterrey series in the quarterfinal round, which is scheduled to begin the week of April 7-9. Series information, including dates, locations, and ticketing, will be announced at a later date.

LAFC continues the MLS regular season this Saturday, March 21, with a road trip to battle Austin FC at Q2 Stadium in the Texas capital. The match is scheduled to kick off at 5:45 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Apple TV and FOX Deportes as well as on Coupang Play and SPOTV in Korea. Local radio coverage will be available on 710 AM ESPN LA, the ESPN App (English), 980 AM La Mera Mera (Spanish) and K-Radio 1230 AM (Korean) with additional national coverage on Sirius XM FC channel 157.

NOTES:

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.

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.

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.

Eight LAFC players (Denis Bouanga, Mathieu Choinière, Ryan Hollingshead, David Martínez, 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.

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Major League Soccer Stories from March 18, 2026


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