FC Dallas closes out September on Saturday night against LAFC, but both teams enter the match without some of their biggest names thanks to the upcoming international window.
Dallas will lack Petar Musa, Bernard Kamungo, Ran Binyamin and Josh Torquato, while the visitor’s list is even longer: Denis Bouanga, Son Hueng-Min, Mathieu Choinière, Jacob Shafeelburg, Jude Terry and Leo Walta will all be away on international duty. For Dallas it means playing without their Golden Boot contender and some fullbacks. For LAFC, it means removing its two best players and a slew of supporting cast.
The two clubs met earlier this season in LA, with LAFC coming away with a late 1-0 winner thanks to David Martinez (who also was sold last month).
While FC Dallas has a five-game unbeaten run heading into the final weekend of the month, the Black & Gold haven’t exactly been rolling lately. Since drawing Vancouver at the start of August, LAFC has one win in their last nine MLS matches. There have been five draws during that stretch, including last week’s come-from-behind draw at San Jose, but the explosive LAFC team that began 2026 has struggled to consistently turn performances into three points.
Let’s dive in.
Tactic Style & Shape:
Under manager Marc Dos Santos, LAFC has generally preferred a 4-3-3, but we’ve seen more flexibility in recent weeks.
Against RSL earlier this month, Dos Santos shifted into a three-man backline with Yevhen Cheberko, Nkosi Tafari, and Aaron Long, allowing outside players to operate as wingbacks. LAFC was more comfortable conceding possession and looking for opportunities to attack directly once space appeared.
Normally that kind of shift can make sense when you have guys like Bouanga and Son leading the attack. Without them, LAFC is going to have to change things up.
This could mean more responsibility for LAFC’s midfield to progress the ball rather than looking up and releasing Son or Bouanga into space. Given that they’ll be on the road, we could also see a more patient approach out of Dos Santos.
LAFC has already recorded 13 clean sheets this season, setting a new club record in that department. Even during this inconsistent stretch, the defensive structure has generally kept games within reach.
Key Player: Armindo Sieb
With Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga both away on international duty this weekend, someone has to become the focal point of the LAFC attack. The 23-year old German may be the right candidate after scoring in his first MLS goal off the bench in his debut against the New York Red Bulls.
Sieb beings pace, technical ability and the versatility to operate centrally or in wide positions.
Key Matchup: Logan Farrington vs Nkosi Tafari
I do love highlighting a matchup that involves a former FC Dallas player. Both players will one know another well from a couple of seasons ago when Farrington was a rookie and Tafari was emerging as a solid defensive player for FC Dallas.
The key for Farrington will be pulling Tafari into open space and opening up the wings for guys like Joaquin Valiente and Santiago Moreno to run into that space.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: Aaron Long
Out: Thomas Hasal (arm), Timothy Tillman (leg)
Questionable: none
International duty: Denis Bouanga, Mathieu Choiniere, Son Heung-Min, Jacob Shaffelbury, Jude Terry, Leo Walta
Quick Notes:
All-time at FC Dallas: LAFC is 1-4-2 in all-time regular season meetings at Toyota Stadium, with the last win coming back in the 2021 season.
Current form: Something has been in the water for LAFC since returning from the World Cup break. They've picked up one win in their last nine matches, with a 1-3-5 record in that span.
Where they're at in the standings: The dip in form has seen them slide down the standings a bit into sixth place.
Three keys for FC Dallas
- Don’t play against the names that aren’t here: Look, it is usually easy to get hyped about playing LAFC. Big names, flashy owners. All of that jazz. Saturday won’t be about any of that when they two teams meet. Dallas cannot spend the opening 20 minutes cautiously defending LAFC or allowing them to get comfortable. This one needs to be a quick start for Dallas, put the reserves for LAFC under pressure and grab the three points.
- Let Logan cook: Without Petar Musa, the attention will go to Farrington. For me, it is all about getting him into the pockets of space in and around the penalty area to let him be his most dangerous self. But it is also about letting him hold up the ball for guys like Moreno, Valiente and Sam Sarver. Force LAFC’s defense into uncomfortable spots quickly.
- Take advantage of the weirdness: There is no getting around it, this one will feel weird. International window games are typically that, and this is truly one of the first in 2026 that will feel this way. Lineups are going to be different, chemistry could be an issue in some cases. But Dallas has rotated their lineup plenty over the last two months and came away with positive results. The key will be not allowing LAFC to get comfortable in this match. Push them early, force mistakes, and grab three points.
Want to know how Dallas should line up to exploit exactly what we just broke down? Our weekly ‘What to Watch For’ will tackle that later this week. Sign up free and we'll send it to you before kickoff.
1 Note: MLS has an injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.
