LAFC Coach Criticizes MLS Schedule Amid Strong Performance

Los Angeles FC has seen impressive results on the pitch this season, but coach Marc Dos Santos expressed frustration with the MLS scheduling as his team prepares for a road match against San Diego FC on Saturday night.

LAFC recently achieved a notable 2-1 victory over Toluca FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals on Wednesday. With little time to prepare, they face a rival that had no midweek match.

Dos Santos’s concerns extend beyond just this weekend’s game, noting his dissatisfaction with the schedule since late March.

In April, LAFC played eight matches between MLS and Champions Cup competitions and has five more scheduled within the first 17 days of May.

“The schedule is a scandal. It’s a scandal,” Dos Santos told reporters. “I don’t understand why MLS … who is the genius in the meeting that says, ‘I have a good idea?’ At some point, it’s enough. Saturday we have to go to San Diego.”

Nonetheless, LAFC (6-2-2, 20 points) has excelled, outscoring MLS opponents 17-6. In Champions Cup action, they have a combined score of 16-5 and remain unbeaten at 5-0-2 heading into the second semifinal leg against Toluca on May 6.

The team also welcomes back star forward Denis Bouanga from suspension due to yellow-card accumulation; he has recorded four goals and four assists in MLS play.

Last season, San Diego FC achieved notable success, winning both matches against LAFC during their first season, finishing at the top of the Western Conference.

This season paints a different picture for San Diego FC (3-5-2, 11 points), as the club has suffered five consecutive losses, remaining winless in their last seven MLS matches (0-5-2) and eight overall, which includes a defeat to Toluca in the Champions Cup Round of 16.

No one associated with San Diego anticipated being in 11th place as May begins.

“It’s been a tough period for San Diego FC, five losses in a row,” commented San Diego star forward Anders Dreyer, who has tallied five goals and four assists in MLS play. “It’s not what we wanted, but that’s the reality. That’s how it is and we can’t run from that.”

Last weekend, San Diego fell 2-1 to the visiting Portland Timbers, who netted the decisive goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time in the second half.

San Diego coach Mikey Varas is eager for a turnaround starting Saturday.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for us to take the next step and get back on track,” Varas stated. “We know we’re in a tough moment and haven’t been at our best. But we’re working very hard and doing everything possible to get back to it.”