LOS ANGELES — In their opening match of Leagues Cup play, LAFC drew 1-1 and were ultimately defeated 11-10 in penalties by Mazatlán at BMO Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Black and Gold are now 7-2-2 all-time and 6-0-2 when playing at home in the tournament.
It was the first of three group stage matches for Los Angeles as part of Phase One in the tournament. Should the squad earn enough points to advance, they will enter the playoff phase of the competition.
Without the presence of their marquee goal scorer Denis Bouanga in the starting lineup, LAFC were tasked with making up for his firepower on the attacking end. It was certainly going to be a big pair of shoes to fill, with Bouanga contributing to 18 of the 32 goals that LAFC had scored all-time in Leagues Cup competition. He had scored or assisted in nine of the 10 Leagues Cup games that Los Angeles has played.
They proved aggressive in the early stages, coming close on numerous attempts.
Robert Talamantes- The Sporting Tribune
LAFC Defender Eddie Sagura (4) places the ball to his teammate in a game against Maztlan FC, Tuesday July 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif.
David Martinez had a pair of near scores, including a shot from short range in the 23rd minute that clanged off the crossbar and deflected away. Jeremy Ebobisse also nearly found the net as his shot was sent away by Mazatlán goalkeeper Ricardo Rodriguez back in the 18th.
Martinez, however, avenged his near conversion just minutes later, breaking the ice as he took a beautiful feed from Timothy Tillman and used his left foot to sail it from outside the box and into the top left corner of the net. It was certainly a sight for sore eyes as the 19-year-old delivered his fourth goal of the year and first since April 19.
.@LeaguesCup te presentamos a David Martínez 😏 pic.twitter.com/LNYHbhSXBQ
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 30, 2025
He had gone 12 consecutive contests without scoring prior to his big tone-setter on Tuesday.
Just two minutes later, Mazatlán forward Fábio Gomes converted the equalizer for his squad. An impressively placed through ball off the foot of Dudu Teodora left him in perfect position to fire one past David Ochoa, who stood in place of Hugo Lloris defending the net in the tournament opener.
The two sides headed into halftime knotted at one, with LAFC establishing themselves as the more ball-dominant side through the first 45 minutes. Their seven shot attempts outpaced Mazatlán's three as they held possession for over 60% of the time.
A 65th-minute substitution provided LAFC with a big boost as Bouanga, Nathan Ordaz, Sergi Palencia and Mark Delgado were all brought into the match. Adam Saldana, Yaw Yeboah, Kenny Nielsen and Jeremy Ebobisse headed towards the bench as Los Angeles geared up to finish strong and ensure they would secure a favorable outcome.
Despite the reinforcements, LAFC could not find the go-ahead score in the second half. They did manage to continue some impressive defense, with a pair of second-half saves from Ochoa helping to keep the contest even.
With the Leagues Cup format not including extra time, the two sides advanced straight into a penalty shootout to decide the victor. Both Ochoa and Rodriguez came up clutch with a save each through the first five penalties. Ochoa turned away Samir before Rodriguez denied a shot from Timothy Tillman.
The two squads continued to trade successful scores, jawing back and forth in an incredibly tense shootout. The two goalies even managed to deliver scores against each other, bringing the shootout to 10-10.
Finally, as the tension continued to build, Nicolás Benedetti put Mazatlán on top 11-10. As Denis Bouanga stepped up for his second penalty, he sailed it over the net, cementing a heartbreaking LAFC defeat in front of the home crowd.
With one point earned thanks to the draw in regulation, Los Angeles did not go completely empty-handed. While the victory was certainly in range, head coach Steve Cherundolo looks ahead with some optimism.
"I was quite pleased with the performance tonight, defensively and all the way up until the final moment," he said. "We did a lot right, but you fall asleep once defensively and you get punished and then you lose in penalties. It's a bitter pill for us to swallow, but we'll get over this and move on."
LAFC will return to action in their second Phase One match on Friday as they host another Liga MX Club, Pachuca. The side currently sits atop the Liga MX standings at 3-0-0 and will prove to be a tough matchup as Los Angeles looks to rebound from a frustrating loss.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT.