first goal

LAFC franchise-record shutout streak ends during loss at Portland

Kevin Kelsy scored his first goal this season in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Kristoffer Velde added a goal and an assist and the Portland Timbers beat LAFC 2-1 on Saturday to break a five-game winless streak.

LAFC (5-1-1) had its franchise-record 571-minute shutout streak end and suffered its first loss of the season. The club set the previous mark of 550 minutes in 2024.

The Timbers (2-4-1) won for the first time since a 3-2 home victory over Columbus in the season opener.

Brandon Bye played a long, arcing ball-in to Velde at the back post for a centering header and Kelsy tapped the go-ahead goal into a wide-open net.

Velde scored his third goal in the past four games to give the Timbers a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute — the first goal conceded by LAFC this season. Velde, on the counter-attack, skipped a shot from the right edge of the penalty arc inside the back post.

Forward Son Heung-min and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (rest) did not play for LAFC.

Jude Terry, a 17-year-old who made his first career start, scored his first MLS goal in the 49th minute. Matthew Evans, at the edge of the penalty box, tapped a backward pass to Terry for a rising first-touch shot that bent around the outstretched arm of goalkeeper James Pantemis and inside the back post to make it 1-1.

The 19-year-old Evans made his MLS debut.

Ryan Porteous appeared to have scored a goal with a header in the 87th minute but LAFC was ruled offside after VAR.

Goalkeeper Thomas Hasal made his first start this season — and his fourth appearance in three years for LAFC — but left the game in the 30th minute after a collision with teammate Artem Smoliokav. Cabral Carter made his MLS debut when the 21-year-old replaced Hasal.

Pantemis finished with four saves.

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Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min power LAFC to blowout win

Denis Bouanga scored three goals, his fifth career hat trick in MLS, and Son Heung-min had four assists to help LAFC beat Orlando City 6-0 on Saturday night.

Sergi Palencia and Tyler Boyd each added a goal for LAFC (6-0-1). Hugo Lloris had six saves.

Orlando City (1-5-0) — which also conceded a hat trick to Sam Surridge the previous time out in a 5-0 loss to Nashville and lost 5-0 at New York City FC on March 7 — set the franchise record for largest margin of defeat in a regular-season match.

Son’s cross was redirected into the net by Orlando defender David Brekalo to give LAFC a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.

Bouanga added goals — all off assists by Son — in the 20th, 23rd and 28th minutes.

Son fed Sergi Palencia for his first goal of the season that made it 5-0 in the 39th, and Boyd capped the scoring in the 70th minute with his first MLS goal since July 13, 2024 for Nashville.

Maxime Crépeau stopped two shots for Orlando.

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Hugo Lloris posts record fifth straight shutout in LAFC draw

Hugo Lloris finished with two saves for LAFC in a record fifth straight shutout to begin a season, and Brad Stuver stopped the only shot he faced for Austin FC in a scoreless draw on Saturday night.

Lloris and LAFC (4-0-1) began the season with four shutout victories, just one of four teams in league history to accomplish the feat. His scoreless stretch of 450 minutes is the longest in league history to begin a season.

Lloris nearly surrendered his first goal of the season in the 63rd minute, but a Myrto Uzuni netter off a corner kick by Facundo Torres was disallowed after Ilie Sánchez was charged with a foul following a video review — and that led to a yellow card on Uzuni.

Neither keeper faced a shot on goal in a scoreless first half.

Austin (1-2-2) swept LAFC last year during the regular season but couldn’t get past the Western Conference stalwarts in the playoffs. Both of the club’s losses this season have come on the road.

LAFC eliminated Alajuelense on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The club is 7-0-2 so far through all competitions.

LAFC began the day tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps for first place in the hotly contested West.

Up next for LAFC: vs. Orlando City at BMO Stadium on April 4.

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Flyers edge the Ducks in overtime

Noah Cates scored on a deflection off goalie Lukas Dostal’s skate at 2:17 of overtime and — after a review for offsides on the play — the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Ducks 3-2 on Wednesday night.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks forced overtime on Leo Carlsson’s goal with 1:54 left in regulation.

Dan Vladar made 34 saves to help Philadelphia rebound from a 2-1 shootout loss to Columbus at home Saturday night. The Flyers are six points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

Luke Glendening had his first goal of the season and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia. Trevor Zegras was held off the scoresheet in his first game in Anaheim since his offseason trade. He scored twice in Philadelphia’s 5-2 home victory over the Ducks on Jan. 6.

Cutter Gauthier also scored for the Ducks, and Dostal stopped 24 shots. The Ducks beat Montreal 4-3 on Sunday night to finish 2-2 on a Canadian swing.

Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas served the third game of a five-game suspension for kneeing Auston Matthews in a loss at Toronto on March 12. Matthews tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

Defenseman John Carlson played his second straight game for the Ducks after a trade-deadline deal with Washington. His debut was delayed by a lower-body injury.

Glendening opened the scoring at 2:50 of the first period, his first goal in 57 games this season with New Jersey and Philadelphia. Tippett made it 2-0 at 7:53 of second with his 23rd of the season. Gauthier cut it to 2-1 on a power play with 38 seconds left in second with his 35th goal of the season.

Philadelphia’s Nick Seeler fought Jansen Harkins in the third period.

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