Los Angeles FC aims to maintain their strong start under new coach Marc Dos Santos when they face Houston Dynamo on Saturday. Houston made significant changes during the offseason.
LAFC kicked off their season with a decisive 3-0 win against Inter Miami on February 21. They also triumphed against Real Espana in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, winning 6-1 in Honduras and sealing the tie 1-0 at home on Tuesday.
Denis Bouanga scored four goals and assisted once in those matches, while Son Heung-Min contributed four assists. Despite the solid performance, Dos Santos opted to keep both players on the field for the first half of the second leg, even with an advancement almost certain.
“Rhythm is key,” he stated. “Sonny didn’t have a perfect preseason, so it’s crucial for him to stay in rhythm. I let both Sonny and Denis know earlier this week that they would play 45 minutes, and we would make substitutions at halftime. They were aware of the plan.”
Houston Dynamo began their season by overcoming the Chicago Fire 2-1 at home on February 21, with two goals from Brazilian Guilherme Augusto, who made his MLS debut.
Along with Augusto, Houston strengthened their lineup by signing former LAFC winger Mateusz Bogusz from Cruz Azul and bringing back Hector Herrera from Toluca, aiming to improve from their 12th-place finish in the Western Conference in 2025.
Herrera, 35, was part of the Houston team that reached the 2023 Western Conference final but has not played since his return.
Houston’s coach Ben Olsen believes this next matchup will be a tougher challenge. “LAFC is one of the best teams in the league when it comes to transition and offensive quality,” he noted. “We know this will be difficult, but the team is eager to take it on.”
The two clubs have had an even record in their past five encounters, with each winning twice and one match ending in a goalless draw.