LAFC edges Sounders before World Cup break

LOS ANGELES — In dire need of a break, both literally and figuratively, Los Angeles Football Club found what it was looking for Sunday in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders.

Battling their conference rival throughout a tight match, LAFC ended a string of four consecutive defeats in all competitions thanks to Timothy Tillman’s first goal of the 2026 MLS regular season.

Tillman scored in the 86th minute when he beat Seattle defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi to a cross from forward Tyler Boyd in the 6-yard box. Boyd’s first assist of the season came shortly after he checked into the game.

Holding the Sounders scoreless delivered LAFC’s 11th clean sheet in 23 matches across all competitions, including nine in 15 MLS games.

Heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup break following the match at BMO Stadium, LAFC’s relentless schedule has made it the busiest team in MLS to this point.

As MLS play pauses while the World Cup unfolds across North America, LAFC (7-5-3) ranks fifth in the Western Conference, tied with the sixth-place Sounders (7-3-3) at 24 points. LAFC is eight points behind West-leading Vancouver and San Jose.

After an unrelenting slate of games between MLS and the CONCACAF Champions Cup, LAFC players not going to the World Cup will have a mandatory 20 days off and won’t officially train with the club again until June 19.

The break comes at a moment when general manager John Thorrington and his staff have questions to answer about the team’s style of play and roster construction.

The MLS secondary transfer window, which runs July 13-Sept. 2, opens four days before LAFC resumes its season against the Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

As far as coach Marc Dos Santos is concerned, the window comes at a critical moment.

“There’s no secret that we want to play a certain way here,” Dos Santos said. “I won’t hide from it. It’s my responsibility. I want our forwards to defend, yes. Yes. Every top team in the world wants their forwards to work. I want our team to run. I want our defenders to be able to shift. I want us to have personality on the ball and not be afraid of having the ball. Keep making runs in behind all the time, we can. So any opportunity in the transfer window that we have to get always closer to our idea of play, trust me, we’re already working on it right now.”

Dos Santos expressed a desire to sign players who can serve as targets inside the box, and LAFC’s attacking options are likely to change.

Talented Venezuelan forward David Martínez has been linked with German Bundesliga club FC Köln, according to reporter Fernando Petrocelli.

A decision about Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio also needs to be made.

In February, Portuguese power FC Porto loaned Eustáquio to LAFC through June 30. The move included an option to purchase. The 29-year-old was excellent until an injury in the third league game set him back a month and a half, and he has struggled to regain the form that had the club’s supporters pining for him to stay in L.A.

Eustáquio, who is expected to join Canada along with LAFC midfielder Mathieu Choinière at the World Cup, said before Sunday’s match that he isn’t thinking about what comes next on the club side, but with a year left on his contract, the plan right now is to return to Porto.

“We know the last stretch has been a bit more difficult for us,” Choinière said before the match. “But we like the soccer that we’re playing, and we just want to leave before the World Cup with a win and leave a smile for our fans.”