LOS ANGELES — A chance to earn a bounce-back victory in front of the home crowd came and went for LAFC, as the club ultimately fell 4-1 to Houston Dynamo FC on Sunday evening at BMO Stadium. The Black and Gold are now 6-3-3 and have lost consecutive matches, conceding four goals in each.
Houston secured just its second victory on the road this season, moving to 2-3-0 away from Shell Energy Stadium. Jack McGlynn led the charge, scoring his first two goals of 2026.
"It's clear that we dominated possession and were on their half the majority of the game," said head coach Marc Dos Santos. "But every time we lost the ball, it seemed like we didn't have the capacity to deal with their three players in transition. When you're at this moment in the season where we've given so much physically, there's lapses of quality and concentration that were missing."
With leading scorer Denis Bouanga (yellow card accumulation) out for the match, Nathan Ordaz provided the only tally on the evening for LAFC in the 45th minute, with the squad already trailing 2-0. He met Jacob Shaffelburg's cross towards the middle of the box and managed to ricochet it past Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond for his third goal across all competitions.
Ordaz acknowledged that the density of the team's schedule through the first few months of the season has taken a toll on the roster. Nevertheless, he does not want the club to use that as an excuse.
"If you're playing more games, you're going to be more tired. That's just a fact," he said. "It's true that we have played more games, but we still have to come out and compete. We might be tired, but we're not 4-1 tired."
A quiet 25 minutes from both sides began the match before McGlynn got Houston on the board with his first score, a left-footed rocket from beyond the box to stun the Los Angeles defense. Nine minutes later, Guilherme Augusto's free kick found its way to past Hugo Lloris and made it 2-0.
Lloris entered Sunday's competition having earned eight MLS clean sheets in ten tries. However, the Dynamo managed to break free from the offensive struggles that had plagued them early on in the season. Houston had scored only 13 goals (tied for third-fewest in the Western Conference) before finding the net a season-high four times against L.A.
"Our first 25 minutes were good," said Dos Santos. "We were on Houston, and then the first time they go to our goal, they just take a spectacular shot. Seasons are long, and they're made of moments like that."
Although Ordaz's score before half helped to erase an otherwise disappointing first 45 minutes, LAFC could not extend its momentum through the rest of the evening. Former LAFC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz, who played with the club for two seasons, made it 3-1 in the 51st minute after collecting the rebound from his initial try and firing it into the bottom left corner of the net.
The boos rained down from the BMO Stadium crowd as McGlynn put home his second score four minutes later, using his left foot to calmly boot another shot past Lloris. The 22-year-old had not tallied a single point across all competitions since Mar. 14 before breaking out to lead his side to a signature win.
Perhaps the only other moment to remember for LAFC besides Ordaz's goal came with Eddie Segura. The defender, who started and etched his 153rd MLS regular-season appearance with the club, passed Carlos Vela for the most in club history.
"Coming here, it's been a great step in my career," said Segura. "I'm proud to represent these colors. It fills me with joy. I wish we had a better result, but that's part of the sport. Now it's time to move on and improve."
Dos Santos hinted following the loss that defender Sergi Palencia, who started the match but exited for Ryan Raposo in the 42nd minute, sustained an injury that could keep him out for a while.
LAFC now has three games remaining before heading into the World Cup break on May 25. Up next is the first of two straight on the road, a battle against St. Louis City SC. L.A. earned a 2-0 shutout over St. Louis back on Mar. 14 and will look to finish off a season sweep.
"I hope we can get points before," Dos Santos said. "But I can tell you that the break is going to be really good for us."
Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT.
