Wednesday, October 8 | 7:30 pm PT | Armenian Heritage Night
🏟 | BMO Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
🖥 | MLS Season Ticket on Apple TV | Pub Partners
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), which has won five straight games by a combined score of 16-4, welcomes Toronto FC to BMO Stadium for the Black and Gold's final regular season home game as the team looks to continue its climb up the standings.
With three games left, Los Angeles FC ranks fourth in the Western Conference with 16 wins, 7 draws and 8 losses, with 56 points. A win over Toronto would move LAFC above Minnesota United (58 points) into third place, one game shy of the Loons and first-place San Diego FC.
Los Angeles FC defeated Atlanta United 1-0 on Sunday night to secure a top-four spot in the Western Conference and gain home-field advantage in a best-of-three series in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. Los Angeles FC is also expected to become the only team in MLS to finish in the top four in each of the past four seasons (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025).
Denis Bouanga's 86th-minute winner against Atalanta, his tenth in the past six games, moved him joint with Lionel Messi for the MLS Golden Boot lead (24 goals each). Bouanga will miss Wednesday's match, however, as he will represent his native Gabon in the Africa World Cup qualifiers. His high-scoring teammate Son Heung-min, who has scored eight goals in nine games since joining LAFC in early August, will also feature for the national team (South Korea) but will not be able to face Toronto.
Toronto FC (5-13-14) was eliminated from playoff contention, but midfielder Djordje Mihajlovic scored a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 tie with playoff-bound Chicago on Saturday night.
In addition to the absences of Bouanga and Heung-min Son, LAFC will also be without midfielder Mathieu Chounier (Canada) and forward Nathan Ordaz (El Salvador), who will compete for their respective national teams ahead of the 26th World Cup. The situation necessitated a redesign of the starting 11 and gave players who received less attention a chance to make their mark in LAFC's late-season playoff run.
“We have a lot of guys that can fill the shoes and prove they can help this team,” head coach Steve Cerundolo said after Sunday night's win. “I’m really looking forward to seeing some of those performances on Wednesday.”
“Jeremy [Ebobisse] Played tonight,” Cerundolo continued. “We also have David Martinez, who didn't play tonight. Timmy Tillman played the offensive role for us. Andy Moran is another option. [Yaw] Jeboah. Cerundolo also mentioned Romanian winger Alex Baruch and midfielder Jarsson – two recent signings who have yet to make their MLS debut – as options for Wednesday night and Sunday's away game in Austin, when Buanga, Son Heung-min, Jonnier and Ordaz will still be playing abroad.
“Our priority right now is to get three points against the Toronto Raptors,” Cerundolo said. “After that we’re going to put everything into Austin, but right now it’s all about Toronto.”
Toronto, led by head coach Robin Fraser, extended its longest unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer history with a dramatic 2-2 draw away from the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, with Mihajlovic equalizing in the 100th minute. The Reds have drawn their past eight games in a row, including draws against playoff team Inter Miami, Columbus Crew (twice) and Supporters' Shield champions Philadelphia Union.
Toronto has allowed the second fewest goals in MLS this season (33 in 32 games), but its defense has allowed the fifth fewest goals (40).
Forward Theo Corbeanu leads the Reds with six goals. Mihajlovic and Jonathan Osorio are the players with the most assists, with 3 assists each. Since joining Toronto FC from Colorado in August, Mihajlovic has contributed five goals (2g/3a) in eight games.
Former LAFC midfielder Jose Cifuentes made 102 regular season appearances for the Black & Gold from 2020 to 2023 and played a key role in the club's 22nd MLS Cup championship. He has started four consecutive games for Toronto since arriving on loan from Scottish Premiership side Rangers last month.
Veteran goalkeeper and 2021 MLS Cup MVP Sean Johnson is enjoying one of the best seasons of his 15-year MLS career, allowing just 37 goals in 29 starts.
Mihajlovic kept the boat steady. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder, who has made more than 10 appearances for the U.S. men's national team, joined the Toronto Rapids in a cash deal two months ago and started all eight games during the Reds' unbeaten run. He only missed 14 minutes during this period and brought stability and offensive threat to the team. Mihajlovic has hurt LAFC before, scoring twice against the Black and Gold in the CONCACAF Champions League in February this year, and scoring twice in the 2024 regular season.
Its defense continued to minimize chances. LAFC has allowed a total of 16 shots on goal during their five-game winning streak and no more than four in a single game. Suffocating opponents before they can take a shot is the main reason why the club has not scored in the past 256 minutes of play. This approach is especially important for the two top scorers in international competition.
Look for LAFC's backline and leader Hugo Lloris (one of two MLS goalkeepers to have 10 or more clean sheets in each of the past two seasons) to help the club keep possession and maintain control while allowing young attackers to develop into the game.