[SPOTV News=Reporter Shin In-seop] Local fans demanded Mark Dos Santos be fired.
LAFC were routed 4-0 by Toluca on May 7 at 10:30 a.m. Korean Standard Time (KST) at Estadio Nemesio Díez in Toluca, Mexico, in the second leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals. After winning the first leg 2-1, LAFC fell 5-2 on aggregate and missed the final.
LAFC’s first-half approach was conservative: sit deep and try to catch Toluca on the counter. They opened in a three-man backline that shifted to a five when defending, packing the penalty area. That setup, however, left midfield gaps and allowed Toluca to pepper the goal with long-range attempts.
Dos Santos couldn’t find an answer. LAFC conceded 18 shots in the first half alone, seven on target. Without several key saves from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, the visitors might have collapsed far earlier.
The second half brought little improvement. A halftime change backfired immediately when Hollingshead, subbed on at the start of the half, conceded a penalty just two minutes later — Toluca’s opener and a complete momentum swing. Toluca struck again 13 minutes into the second half, putting LAFC on the ropes.
LAFC threw on two more substitutes quickly, but the moves failed to alter the course. The team kept a back three while pushing the line higher, yet fatigued attackers couldn’t produce clear chances and squandered the few opportunities that did arise. Only in the 32nd minute of the second half did LAFC switch to a four-man defense.
By then it was too late. The players looked deflated, and the high altitude drained their physical edge. Toluca added two goals in stoppage time, sealing a 4-0 victory.
The shocking loss sparked fury among fans. LAFC’s social channels filled with “Santos out” messages, and even local supporters publicly questioned Dos Santos’ performance.
LAFC had rested key players in MLS to prioritize the CONCACAF Champions Cup, a clear choice to focus resources. That strategy backfired: results slipped, their league position dropped, and the gap to first-place San Jose widened to seven points.
The club now faces the real possibility of losing both targets — knocked out at the Champions Cup semifinal stage and forced into a chase of San Jose in MLS.
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