LAFC scores twice in the first half and adds a third goal in the second half for a 3-0 victory as the teams play their first game following the World Cup break in front of a sellout crowd in Carson.
LAFC midfielder Mark Delgado, center, celebrates with teammates after he scored a goal during the first half of their MLS match against the Galaxy on Friday, July 17, 2026, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.
CARSON — The Galaxy resumed their regular season on Friday and probably wanted to forget about it by halftime. Coming out of the World Cup break, MLS put all eyes on the first El Trafico meeting between the Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club, scheduling it as the first game for both teams after the league’s nearly seven-week break.
LAFC scored twice in the first half and Son Heung-Min added to the tally in the second half, leading to a 3-0 win for the Black and Gold in front of a sellout crowd of 24,325 at Dignity Health Sports Park. The win snapped a three-game winless streak in the series for LAFC.
“I think we lost to a team that executed better than us on the day,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “They executed their plan. They stayed low, they made the game very difficult for us. We did what we can’t do, which is gift goals in a game like that and so they executed better than us on the day.
” LAFC went into the World Cup break in fifth place in the Western Conference. The Galaxy made it in just inside the playoff line at ninth place. Last season was just the second time that the rivals only met twice in a calendar year and it was also the first that neither team won a game in the annual series. LAFC opened the scoring in the 26th minute as Mark Delgado scored against his former team.
Delgado, who played for the Galaxy from 2022-2024, slammed home the rebound off of his initial shot that hit Galaxy defender Jacob Glesnes.
“First goal for me, should never happen,” Vanney said. “When you have a center back marking a small player in the box, one on one, we should win that duel. We were two on two in the box, we weren’t overloaded, it’s a cross we would love to prevent, but at the same time you have matchups that you should envy in the box and we should be able to deal with it and we don’t.
“They were dangerous in more moments …I never want to say a team’s better than another team. I think it comes down to the day, there were able to execute on their plan and we were too easy to concede in the moments that we can’t afford to concede. ” Unfortunately for the Galaxy, they couldn’t make it to halftime trailing just 1-0.
Denis Bouanga drew a penalty and converted the opportunity to give the visitors a 2-0 halftime lead.
“I don’t think there were any positives to take from the game,” defender Justin Haak said. “We want to make the playoffs and we’re not going to make the playoffs playing like that. We’re not looking to make excuses, we should be able to come out with energy and perform better. ” Last season, when the Galaxy saw a late deficit against LAFC, they found a way to rally for a draw.
In the home game last May, Marco Reus scored a pair, including a free kick in the 87th minute and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. In the second meeting, in July, the Galaxy rallied from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to secure a 3-3 draw. Gabriel Pec and Maya Yoshida helped the Galaxy pick up a point in that one.
Son Heung-Min, who had been scoreless in MLS play this season, finally got on the board with his goal in the 57th minute.
“There’s certain games that you always have circled on your calendar when you come into a season and schedule,” Vanney said Wednesday. “And when those games come off of long breaks. “I just feel like they give the break, a little more intensity, just a little more purpose because it’s not, you know, it’s not a slow build in.
Like, it’s going to be on right from the start and the fans are gonna expect certain intensity and fire from both sides. ”“On a day where you needed to be near flawless defensively because we’re probably not going to create a ton of chances, in my opinion,” Vanney said.
“You need to be really good on the defensive side of things and look for the game to open up as the game sort of progresses, but we gave up that goal, then we gave up a penalty and the third goal. ” LAFC caught the Galaxy in all-time El Trafico wins with Friday’s victory. Entering the game, the teams had met 26 times. The Galaxy had 10 wins and LAFC had nine and both teams had seven draws.
The Galaxy had scored 57 goals, combined to 56 for LAFC.
“If you have to choose a game to get started again, it’s this game,” LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos said Wednesday. “LAFC-L.A. Galaxy is not another game. It’s not a game that defines your season, but for us we say clearly it’s not just another game.
It’s a big game. ”The teams will meet again Oct. 25 at BMO Stadium. The Galaxy have a quick turnaround, hosting St. Louis CITY SC on Wednesday before travel north to take on the San Jose Earthquakes next Saturday.
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