Cobbling together three points through a pair of Leagues Cup matches, chances are slim that the Los Angeles Football Club will advance to the tournament’s knockout rounds for a third consecutive time.
The long odds won’t stop them from trying Tuesday, even as the closing stretch of the Major League Soccer season comes into focus days later in Chicago.
“We’re competitors,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “The players want to win. Every training session, every game we give them, every competition we put them in, they want to win. And that will be the same for [Tigres]. That said, we also have a game in Chicago this weekend, so we’ll prepare for both.”
Prior to the resumption of the MLS regular season, Cherundolo’s team will technically be a guest on its home field against a higher-ranked opponent when the last of three Leagues Cup points matches brings eight-time Liga MX champion Club Tigres to BMO Stadium.
Having defeated LAFC in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League final and the 2023 Campeones Cup, Tigres is currently No. 1 on the Liga MX side of the Leagues Cup table following victories at Houston and San Diego.
“The fact that we are here is not by chance,” said 25-year-old Tigres winger Diego Lainez. “This is good work that we’ve been doing.
“Of course we mustn’t focus on relaxing or taking for granted what we’ve done.”
MLS and Liga MX each will send its top four teams to the quarterfinal round, which begins later this month.
The Monterrey, Mexico-based Tigres are well positioned, however, the harsh league-versus-league format means that the six Liga MX teams with four or more points would be poised to leapfrog them with a regulation loss to LAFC.
Meanwhile, draws against Mazatlán and Pachuca (plus an extra point for winning the second match in penalties), has LAFC situated 13th out of 18 MLS teams in the Phase One MLS standings.
To have any hope of moving on, LAFC must beat Tigres in 90 minutes and cross their fingers that no more than one of the 10 MLS teams currently above of them in the table — not including six-point sides Seattle and Portland, whom the Black & Gold can’t surpass based on tiebreakers — reach half a dozen or more points.
For the third straight match, LAFC will take the field without captain Hugo Lloris, leaving backup goalkeepers David Ochoa or Thomas Hasal to fill the void. Lloris returned to France last week as part of the process to obtain a green card, which, once complete, would free up an additional international roster slot for LAFC during the transfer window.
On Monday, LAFC confirmed the signing of Scottish center back Ryan Porteous, who arrives on a permanent move from Watford F.C. of the English Football League Championship. LAFC acquired the defender’s discovery rights from Toronto FC in exchange for $100,000 in 2025 general allocation money. The 26-year-old Porteous is under contract through 2028, with an option for one more year.
“I think it’s a player who will help us physically, will help us technically and tactically,” Cherundolo said. “He is also an aggressive player. That’s in line with what we want to do here at LAFC. He’s mobile. He’s aggressive. He’s comfortable on the ball. And furthermore he’s brave and has a great personality, and brings some leadership. I’m looking forward to integrating him as soon as possible on game day, but he’s already arrived.”
Like Canadian midfielder Mathieu Choinière, Porteous will become available once his immigration status clears.
“We are in very good position to finish in a strong manner like we started the season,” Cherundolo said. “I think that’s really important to have, first and foremost as a goal, and then every day now until then to be actively working towards that goal.”
LAFC AT CLUB TIGRES
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM