Lafc Vs L.d. Alajuelense: LAFC opens Round of 16 at BMO Stadium as Son Heung-min starts again
lafc vs l. d. alajuelense is on deck at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, with LAFC hosting Tuesday night in the first leg of a two-game Round of 16 series in the Concacaf Champions Cup. LAFC enters the night after a 1-0 MLS win over FC Dallas on Saturday, extending what the club described as the best start in its history. The immediate mission is clear: take control of the home leg now, then carry the tie into a difficult second leg next week in Costa Rica.
What’s happening now at BMO Stadium
LAFC is shifting from MLS play back into the Concacaf Champions Cup, a regional competition LAFC calls the most prestigious trophy in the region, contested by 27 clubs across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The tie is a home-and-away series, with the winner on aggregate advancing to a quarterfinal against the winner of Cruz Azul vs Monterrey.
LAFC’s last outing was a 1-0 regular-season win over FC Dallas on Saturday night, powered by what the club described as a 55th-minute wondergoal from David Martínez. That result pushed LAFC’s franchise-record opening streak to five straight wins to start a season, including three in MLS play.
Lafc Vs L. d. Alajuelense lineups and the Son Heung-min spotlight
In the build-up to lafc vs l. d. alajuelense, LAFC named Son Heung-min as the center striker in a 4-3-3 formation. The same lineup listing placed Denis Bouanga and Timothy Tillman on both wings, with Marco Delgado, Amin Budri, and Mathieu Shuaniere in midfield. The back line was listed as Ryan Hollingshead, Nkosi Tapari, Ryan Porteous, and Serhiy Palencia, with Hugo Lloris in goal.
Son Heung-min’s selection makes it three straight starts, as LAFC looks to translate his attacking output into another decisive night. Under coach Mark dos Santos, Son Heung-min has one goal—on a penalty—and five assists across five games, while LAFC has managed his minutes as he continues to find full rhythm after not completing the pre-season.
LAFC reached the Round of 16 after a 7-1 aggregate win over Real Spain of Honduras in the previous round. In that first-round series, Son Heung-min contributed one goal and three assists in the first match, including involvement on a penalty situation.
What both teams are carrying into the first leg
Alajuelense arrives with both pedigree and a clear pathway into this year’s tournament: the Costa Rican club qualified as the 2025 Concacaf Central American Cup winners, which gave them a Round One bye. In domestic play, Alajuelense competes in the Liga Promerica, the top-tier league in Costa Rica, and was listed in sixth place in the Clausura table with a 4W-4L-3D record, scoring 14 and conceding 12.
LAFC and Alajuelense also have recent Concacaf history. In 2023, LAFC advanced past Alajuelense 4-2 on aggregate to reach the quarterfinals, sparked by Denis Bouanga’s first career hat trick for LAFC in the first leg in Costa Rica. Alajuelense won 2-1 in Los Angeles in the second leg, but LAFC moved on on aggregate.
Immediate reactions: Tillman and Dos Santos frame the stakes
Midfielder Timmy Tillman, who played in both matches against Alajuelense in 2023, put the club’s mindset in blunt terms: “It would be a great story to win Concacaf for the first time, but I think we just have to focus on every single game. It’s going to happen step by step. We can’t think of the Final before we’re playing the Round of 16. ”
Coach Mark dos Santos emphasized the importance of handling the opening night at home before heading into a challenging environment: “The first game is in LA, the second game is in Costa Rica, so we have to take care of the first leg in the best way possible to put us in a position to go to a very difficult place. We know the atmosphere in Costa Rica, so we’re going into a difficult place, so we have to set up ourselves in the right way to succeed. ”
What’s next after Tuesday night
The second leg will be played next week in Costa Rica at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, which LAFC described as a 19, 000-capacity venue with artificial turf. The series winner on aggregate advances into the quarterfinals against the Cruz Azul vs Monterrey series winner, making Tuesday’s home performance a pivot point as the Round of 16 begins.
For LAFC, the immediate focus remains the same heading into the final stretch of matchday build-up: start fast, control the first leg, and leave BMO Stadium with a result that travels—because lafc vs l. d. alajuelense is only halfway decided when the final whistle blows in Los Angeles.
