LAFC Begins 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup with 6-1 Victory against Real España
MLS Los Angeles FC

LAFC Begins 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup with 6-1 Victory against Real España

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


Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) began its 2026 season and Concacaf Champions Cup campaign with an emphatic 6-1 win against Real España at Estadio General Francisco Morazán in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Black & Gold stars Son Heung-Min, Denis Bouanga (three goals), David Martínez and Timothy Tillman all scored first-half goals in the opening match of LAFC's two-game, first round series against the Honduran side.

LAFC's attacking triumvirate of Sonny, Bouanga and Martínez were devastating from the opening whistle as Martínez drew an early penalty that Bouanga converted in the third minute to stake the Black & Gold to an immediate 1-0 advantage. Martínez then scored himself in the 11th minute, finishing a feed from Son, who added a penalty kick goal of his own in the 22nd minute - after Bouanga had been chopped down in the box - to make it 3-0.

Son teed up Bouanga to score LAFC's fourth in the 24th minute and completed his hat trick of assists in the 39th minute when Tillman cleverly backheeled the Korean superstar's pass into the Real España goal for a 5-0 lead before half time.

The hosts increased their intensity to start the second half and were able to pull a goal back through Jack Jean-Baptiste in the 51st minute.

LAFC restored its five-goal advantage after head coach Marc Dos Santos injected the Black & Gold with fresh legs around the hour mark, bringing on homegrown forward Nathan Ordaz for Son, midfielder Mathieu Choinière for Stephen Eustáquio and winger Tyler Boyd for Martínez.

Ordaz made an immediate impact, most importantly leaving a Sergi Palencia cross in the 71st minute for an unmarked Bouanga to score his third and LAFC's sixth of the match.

The Black & Gold will aim to advance to the Round of 16 next Tuesday, Feb. 24 when the club hosts Real Espańa for the second leg at BMO Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT and tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. The match will be broadcast on FS2, TUDN, ConcacafGo or OneSoccer, and radio coverage will be available on 710 AM ESPN LA, 980 AM La Mera Mera and K-Radio1230 AM.

Before that match, LAFC kicks off its 2026 MLS regular season schedule with a Walmart Saturday Showdown against reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami CF at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this Saturday, Feb. 21. The highly anticipated match between LAFC and Inter Miami, presented by BMO, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Apple TV with local radio coverage on 710 AM ESPN LA, 980 AM La Mera Mera and K-Radio 1230 AM. Fans in Korea will be able to watch the match on Coupang Play and SPOTV.

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Major League Soccer Stories from February 18, 2026


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