LAFC Fall Short in Homestand Against Portland

A frustrating night at BMO ends LAFC’s unbeaten run heading into the break.

LAFC’s four-match unbeaten streak ended Friday night with a 1–0 loss to the Portland Timbers at BMO Stadium. The lone goal came in the final seconds of the first half, when Cristian Paredes nodded in a corner that glanced in off the post.

From there, LAFC chased — and nearly found — an equalizer.

Their best chance came just before the hour mark, when a sliding effort from Nathan Ordaz was saved by Maxime Crépeau. Ryan Hollingshead followed with a rebound that was blocked by a recovering Portland defender.

Later, it was Kenny Nielsen — making his MLS debut — who came inches from leveling the score. The rookie center back rattled the crossbar with a bicycle kick in the 78th minute, capping a composed 90-minute shift in his first senior appearance.

Despite a stronger second half and a few late looks, LAFC couldn’t break through Portland’s back line. The Black & Gold finished with 12 total shots, 2 on target.

Hugo Lloris kept LAFC in it with four saves, including a diving stop in the 64th minute to deny David da Costa. Denis Bouanga, who tied for the team lead with two shot attempts, saw his four-game scoring streak come to an end.

The loss moves LAFC to 10-6-6 (36 pts) and drops them to sixth in the Western Conference heading into the Leagues Cup break.

Next up: LAFC returns on Tuesday, July 29, hosting Liga MX’s Mazatlán FC at BMO Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.