Field Level Media
02 May 2026, 07:49 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images)
Los Angeles FC have experienced dominating results on the field this season but coach Marc Dos Santos is not too happy with the MLS schedule-makers entering Saturday night's road match at San Diego FC.
LAFC are coming off a big 2-1 victory over visiting Toluca FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals on Wednesday night. Los Angeles doesn't have much time to prepare before it visits a rival that didn't play a midweek match.
Dos Santos isn't just fretting about this weekend assignment. He pointed out he has been frustrated with the schedule since late March.
LAFC played eight matches in April between MLS and Champions Cup play and has five more coming in the first 17 days of May.
'The schedule is a scandal. It's a scandal,' Dos Santos told reporters. 'I don't understand why MLS ... who is the genius in the meeting that says, 'I have a good idea?' At some point, it's enough. Saturday we have to go to San Diego.'
Regardless, LAFC (6-2-2, 20 points) have been thriving and have outscored MLS opponents 17-6. In Champions Cup play, LAFC have outscored their foes 16-5 and are 5-0-2 entering the second semifinal leg at Toluca on May 6.
LAFC also get star forward Denis Bouanga back from a suspension for yellow-card accumulation. He has four goals and four assists in MLS play.
Last season, San Diego went 2-0 against LAFC during its stellar expansion campaign when it won the Western Conference.
Things are much different for San Diego FC (3-5-2, 11 points) this season. The club has lost five straight matches, is winless in its last seven MLS games (0-5-2) and eight overall, counting a loss to Toluca in the Champions Cup Round of 16.
Nobody associated with San Diego was expecting to be sitting in 11th place entering May.
'It's been a tough period for San Diego FC, five losses in a row,' said San Diego star forward Anders Dreyer, who has five goals and four assists in MLS play. 'It's not what we wanted, but that's the reality. That's how it is and we can't run from that.'
Last weekend, San Diego lost 2-1 to visiting Portland when the Timbers scored the decisive goal in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
San Diego coach Mikey Varas is hoping the turnaround begins Saturday.
'It's a tremendous opportunity for us to take the next step and get back on track,' Varas said. 'We know we're in a tough moment and haven't been at our best. But we're working very hard and doing everything possible to get back to it.'
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Los Angeles Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Los Angeles Herald.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: Jerome Powell's tenure as Federal Reserve chair is drawing to a close, ending a period defined by clashes with political...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Argentina's radical libertarian president, Javier Milei, blocked accredited reporters from entering the government's...
ZURICH, Switzerland: An upcoming referendum that would limit Switzerland's population to 10 million is gaining support from a slim...
LONDON, U.K.: Prime Minister Keir Starmer managed to avert a parliamentary inquiry over his choice of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada: Nathan Chasing Horse, who acted in Dances With Wolves, was sentenced this week by a Nevada judge to life in prison...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Reza Talaei-Nik said on April 28 that his country is ready to share its defensive weapons...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Amazon is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence with new tools designed to automate large-scale...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: OpenAI is loosening its long-standing exclusive arrangement with Microsoft, allowing the ChatGPT maker to...
OAKLAND, California: A courtroom battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman is set to put one of Silicon Valley's most influential partnerships...
LOS ANGELES, California: Tesla's long-promised robotaxi expansion is progressing more slowly than expected, with CEO Elon Musk adopting...
(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images) While there's a lot of time left in the MLS season, it's also true that every result you...
(Photo credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images) Los Angeles FC have experienced dominating results on the field this season but coach...
