LOS ANGELES — While the Los Angeles Football Club still needs significant help to advance to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, it left Tuesday night with a string of positive building blocks.
A victory over arguably the strongest side in Liga MX and a glimpse into its imminent riches.
LAFC defeated Club Tigres 2-1 in the final match of the group stage as both teams finished with six points. While each side sits in the top four of their respective league standings, neither controls their destiny in the tournament.
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Defender Sergi Palencia #14 of Los Angeles FC goes up for the header against Forward Andre-Pierre Gignac #10 of UANL Tigres in the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
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Defender Sergi Palencia #14 of Los Angeles FC goes up for the header against Forward Andre-Pierre Gignac #10 of UANL Tigres in the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
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That may be the only apprehension regarding LAFC’s future. LAFC made the most expensive splash in MLS history Tuesday, paying a reported $26 million transfer fee for Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min.
Son arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday and was shown sitting in a suite on the video board to a raucous reaction from BMO Stadium. His appearance came moments after LAFC scored its first goal of the night — a penalty kick from David Martinez. Martinez completed a brace in the 63rd minute, his second goal proving the difference.
Martinez’s impact was foreseeable as he was the only player on LAFC with a footing through the first 30 minutes of Tuesday’s match. He produced a pair of feeble attempts on goal, while Tigres controlled the possession.
French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac had two chances inside the box in the first 20 minutes, neither successful. Matters grew seemingly worse for LAFC when striker Jeremy Ebobisse pulled up grabbing his left hamstring in the 29th minute.
Timothy Tillman replaced Ebobisse and made an immediate impact. In his first action, he latched onto a pass from Martinez, cut back into the middle of the box and forced Fernando Gorriarán to tackle him.
Tillman drew a penalty, to which Tigres’ goal keeper Nahuel Guzmán and midfielder Diego Lainez took issue as each received a yellow card for arguing the ruling. Despite the stall between the foul and the penalty kick itself, Martinez coolly stepped up to the spot and knocked the ball into the top right corner to give LAFC a lead.
Tigres tied it up early in the second half, capitalizing on an unnecessary foul. Javier Aquino took down Lainez, setting up a free kick from well outside the box, but Juan Brunetta swung in a cross that found Edgar Lopez’s head and then the back of the net. Lopez had replaced Gignac at halftime and scored on his first touch.
Despite conceding a tying goal, LAFC seemed more comfortable in the second half than the first.
That proved to be true in the 63rd minute when they strung together a sublime run of play to take back the lead.
Substitute midfielder Marco Delgado dispossessed Tigres and found Frankie Amaya, who played it to Artem Smalyakov. Smalyakov shuffled past a defender and found Martinez in stride. The Columbian did the rest, running past and holding off Tigres’ defense before slotting a shot under Guzmán.
Tigres threatened to score on a pair of set pieces during injury time with Gorriarán barely skying a header in the 95th minute, but LAFC survived.
They can now look forward, hoping the results of the remaining MLS teams break in their favor and they can progress to the quarterfinal of the Leagues Cup for a third consecutive season. For now, excitement is present for Tuesday’s victory and the introduction of Son.
LAFC will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 2 p.m. to introduce their newest acquisition.
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