Wednesday October 8 | 7:30 p.m. PT | Armenian Heritage Night
🏟 | BMO Stadium – Los Angeles, California
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Winners of five straight games by a combined score of 16-4, LAFC welcomes Toronto FC to BMO Stadium for the Black & Gold’s final home game of the regular season as they look to continue climbing the conference standings.
With three games remaining, LAFC is in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 16W-7L-8L for 56 points. A win against Toronto would move LAFC past Minnesota United (58 points) and into third place, with a game in hand against the Loons as well as first-place San Diego FC.
LAFC’s 1-0 win over Atlanta United on Sunday night moved it into the top four in the West and took home-field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs Best-of-3 series. LAFC is also guaranteed to become the only MLS team to finish in the top four in each of the last four seasons (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025).
Denis Bouanga’s 86th-minute winner against Atlanta was his tenth goal in his last six games, putting him atop the MLS Golden Boot with Lionel Messi (24 goals each). Bouanga, however, will miss Wednesday’s match as he represents his home country Gabon in World Cup qualifying in Africa. His teammate Son Heung-Min, who has scored eight goals in nine matches since joining LAFC in early August, will also compete for his national team (South Korea) and is unavailable against Toronto.
Toronto FC (5W-13L-14L) was eliminated from playoff contention but tied Chicago 2-2 on Saturday night, with midfielder Djordje Mihailovic scoring a dramatic equalizer in injury time.
In addition to the absences of Bouanga and Son, LAFC will be without midfielder Mathieu Choinière (Canada) and striker Nathan Ordaz (El Salvador), who will compete for their national teams ahead of FIFA World Cup 26. The situation requires a reinvented starting XI and provides an opportunity for lesser-known players to make their mark in LAFC’s end-of-season playoffs.
“We have a lot of players that can fill the void and show that they can help this team,” head coach Steve Cherundolo said after Sunday night’s win. “I’m really looking forward to seeing some of these performances on Wednesday.”
“Jeremiah [Ebobisse] I came in tonight,” Cherundolo continued. “We still have David Martínez who didn’t come in tonight. Timmy Tillman played an offensive role for us. Andy Moran is another option. [Yaw] Yeah. Cherundolo also mentioned Romanian winger Alex Bǎluțǎ and central midfielder Jailson — two recent acquisitions who have yet to make their MLS debut — as options for Wednesday night as well as Sunday’s road game in Austin, when Bouanga, Son, Choinière and Ordaz will still be competing abroad.
“Our main goal right now is to get three points against Toronto,” Cherundolo said. “We’ll launch everything in Austin after that, but for now it’s all about Toronto.”
Led by head coach Robin Fraser, Toronto extended the longest tie streak in MLS history with a 2-2 road draw against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, thanks to Mihailovic’s equalizer in the 100th minute. The Reds have tied their last eight straight matches, including draws against playoff clubs Inter Miami, the Columbus Crew (twice) and Supporters’ Shield winners the Philadelphia Union.
Toronto has scored the second fewest goals in MLS this season (33 goals in 32 games), but its defense has allowed the fifth fewest goals (40).
Striker Theo Corbeanu leads the Reds with six goals. Mihailovic and Jonathan Osorio are the best passers with three each. Mihailovic has recorded five goal contributions (2g/3a) in eight matches since joining Toronto FC from Colorado in August.
Former LAFC midfielder Jose Cifuentes – who made 102 regular season appearances for the Black & Gold from 2020-2023 and played a central role in the club’s 2022 MLS Cup title – has started four straight games for Toronto since arriving on loan last month from Rangers FC of the Scottish Premiership.
Veteran goalkeeper and 2021 MLS Cup MVP Sean Johnson is having one of the finest seasons of his 15-year MLS career, conceding just 37 goals in 29 starts.
Mihailovic keeps the ship steady. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder, who has won more than 10 caps with the United States men’s national team, joined Toronto two months ago in a cash swap deal from the Rapids and has started all eight games during the Reds’ unbeaten run. He missed just 14 minutes in that span, bringing stability and offensive threat to a team that needed both. Mihailovic has already hurt LAFC, scoring twice against the Black & Gold in a Concacaf Champions Cup match in February this year, and twice in a regular season match in 2024.
His defense continues to minimize chances. LAFC has allowed a total of 16 shots on goal during its five-game winning streak, and no more than four in a single game. Stifling opponents before they can shoot is the main reason the club has not allowed a goal in its last 256 minutes of play. This approach will be particularly relevant with its two top scorers on international duty.
Look for LAFC’s backline and its leader Hugo Lloris – one of two goalkeepers in MLS with 10 or more clean sheets in each of the last two seasons – to help the club maintain possession and maintain control while its young attackers grow into the game.
