In a friendly Sunday afternoon match, LAFC returned to the pitch for the first time since May 24, defeating the El Salvador national team 3-0 at BMO Stadium.
Despite the crowd in attendance overwhelmingly voicing support for El Salvador, the Black & Gold cruised through a mostly dominant showing and got their legs back under them. Mark Delgado, Jeremy Ebobisse and Ryan Hollingshead each provided scores en route to the victory.
"You want to make sure that your friendlies have the right amount of intensity," LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said. "Overall, I think the mentality was good. When you're in this world and you play friendlies, it's easy for players to relax and switch off. They were very pro and responsible, and that is a good sign of responsibility."
Delgado's score came relatively quickly as he rocketed a shot through the back of the net from the top of the box in minute nine. It was just the second goal of 2026 for the midfielder, who hadn't managed to score since LAFC's second game of the season against Houston Dynamo on Feb. 28.
Following a quiet next 30 minutes, Ebobisse put a bow on the half by finishing a well-placed cross from Denis Bouanga. Unlike Delgado, Ebobisse had not scored in 2026 before finally notching his first on Sunday afternoon.
With the Salvadoran fans in attendance waiting for their chance to erupt in celebration of a goal, forward Styven Vásquez nearly provided the moment they craved with a late-half score of his own. His sliding attempt, however, was sent away at the last moment by Hugo Lloris.
Lloris would go on to be replaced at halftime by backup goalkeeper Thomas Hasal, who finished off the clean sheet performance with 45 solid minutes to close the match. Hasal was one of many substitutes to see the pitch for LAFC in the match, amongst those such as Jude Terry, Kenny Nielsen, and Nkosi Tafari, who did not start.
Ryan Hollingshead capped the scoring in minute 59, cleaning up a try from Bouanga that was deflected by Salvadoran goalkeeper Mario González.
Making his debut and starting in the match for LAFC was defender Yevhen Cheberko, who was acquired from Columbus Crew on June 9 in exchange for a 2026 International Roster Spot. He will be officially added to the roster once the MLS secondary transfer window opens on July 13.
Cheberko, despite only being with the team for a couple of weeks, noted how impressed he was with the organization and its desire to win.
"The players are hungry to win more titles," he said. "Everybody knows this team and the quality that the players have. We want to win something, and that's what I can bring to this team. I don't want to talk a lot about what I can bring to the team because it's better to let my actions speak on the field."
Hernán Gómez, El Salvador's manager, spoke following the game about how he's seen Ordaz grow as a player.
"Nathan is a very good player," Gómez said. "He has very good technique, and he's an important person for our national team."
LAFC will resume its MLS campaign on July 17, heading to Carson for a matchup with the LA Galaxy for the first time this season. In 2025, the two sides finished both of their showdowns with draws, 3-3 and 2-2, respectively.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. PT.