LAFC Advances in Champions Cup
LAFC advanced to the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup with a 7-1 aggregate victory over Real España, securing their progression with a 1-0 second-leg win via Nkosi Tafari/Burgess' 64th-minute goal. Nashville SC also dominated their tie, routing Atlético Ottawa 7-0 on aggregate with a 5-0 first-leg performance featuring goals from Alex Muyl, Jordan Knight, Woobens Pacius, Jack Maher, and Ahmed Qasem.
The winner of the Concacaf Champions Cup will receive over $5 million in prize money and qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament features top clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean in a knockout format. LAFC will face Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense in the Round of 16. This is a rematch of the 2023 Champions Cup Round of 16, where LAFC advanced with a 4-2 aggregate victory. The first leg is scheduled for March 10 at BMO Stadium, followed by the second leg on March 17 in Costa Rica. Nashville SC's dominant 7-0 aggregate win marked the club's best-ever start to a season and their highest-scoring opening three games in history. Jordan Knight's goal in the 5-0 second-leg victory was his first for the club. Up next for Nashville is a Round of 16 clash with reigning MLS Cup champions, Inter Miami CF. This will be the second time in two Champions Cup appearances that Nashville has faced Inter Miami, having been eliminated by them in the 2024 tournament. The two sides have met 19 times in all competitions, making Miami Nashville's most-faced opponent. The goal for LAFC was Nkosi Tafari's first for the club since he was traded from FC Dallas in January 2025. Tafari, who was named the 2019 WAC Defensive Player of the Year in college, scored three goals for Dallas in the 2023 season. In their first-leg 6-1 victory, LAFC's Son Heung-min tied a tournament record by scoring a goal and providing three assists in the first half. This performance matched the mark set by Franco Jara in 2016.
