Larry Berg, the co-managing owner of LAFC, was chosen Monday to become the third commissioner in MLS history when Don Garber retires in December.
Berg has been with LAFC since the club’s founding, helping build the team into the league’s most successful franchise since entering MLS in 2018. He has held ownership stakes in Italy’s AS Roma and Welsh club Swansea City and has served MLS as co-chair of the league’s sporting and competition committee.
Berg, 60, also spent more than three decades in private equity, serving as a senior partner at Apollo Global Management before retiring in 2022.
“I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Berg, a lifelong soccer fan and player, said in a statement released by the league. “Thanks to the vision and commitment of so many people, Major League Soccer has achieved tremendous success, but I believe our greatest opportunities are still ahead.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the quality of our competition, develop more world-class players, deepen our connection with supporters, and continue elevating Major League Soccer’s place in the global game.”
Berg has some big shoes to fill just as MLS enters an important stage of its development. Under Garber, who served 27 years, MLS expanded from 10 to 30 teams. Garber also oversaw multiple changes in the league’s salary structure, including the advent of the designated-player rule, which allowed MLS clubs to sign stars such as Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry while boosting the median guaranteed salary to $360,000.
Two years after Garber became commissioner, he helped save the league from bankruptcy and he’ll leave with the combined value of the league’s 30 teams estimated at $23 billion. Five teams, including Berg’s LAFC, are each valued at more than $1 billion.
Berg will face some daunting challenges with the league trying to ride the wave of soccer’s popularity following the U.S.’ just second-ever hosting of the World Cup; the change to a fall-spring competition schedule, which will debut next year; and the start of negotiations on a new TV contract to replace the streaming deal with Apple, which expires in 2029.
“Having worked closely with Larry over the past decade, I’ve seen firsthand the qualities that make him an exceptional leader, and I have complete confidence he is the right person to serve as Major League Soccer’s next commissioner,” Garber said. “His integrity, judgment, collaborative leadership, and unwavering commitment to building LAFC and the league have made him an invaluable partner.”
Before assuming his new role, Berg must divest his ownership interest in LAFC.
Denis Bouanga scored two goals, Son Heung-min scored in his third consecutive match since the World Cup break, and LAFC thrashed Sporting Kansas City 4-0 on Saturday night for its fourth consecutive victory.
David Martínez also scored in a 3-0 first half for LAFC, which hasn’t lost since May 17. Bouanga added his second goal in the 85th minute, giving him 10 in 17 matches this season.
With an inspired Son and a top-form Bouanga both scoring in every game since the break, LAFC has outscored its last three opponents by a combined 10-1. They’ve pulled even with Vancouver and San José atop the Western Conference standings with 33 points and 10 victories, although the Whitecaps and Quakes both have games in hand.
Hugo Lloris had to make just one save while keeping his MLS-leading 10th clean sheet for LAFC.
Sporting Kansas City didn’t get a shot on target until the 77th minute of a loss that kept them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Son struck in the fifth minute when he chased down a lead pass from Mark Delgado, shook off defender Wyatt Meyer and fired home his third goal of the season. The former Tottenham star played his first 13 matches without a goal for LAFC despite leading MLS in assists, but the South Korea captain has looked rejuvenated with the World Cup pressure off his shoulders.
Bouanga doubled LAFC’s lead in the 37th minute with the type of counterattacking goal that his team scored relentlessly last season. The French forward controlled Mathieu Choinière’s long pass, shrugged off a defender and finished.
Bouanga’s pass then set Martínez loose on a counterattack with Son in injury time, and Martínez buried his sixth goal.
LAFC added yet another transition goal late when Ryan Porteous’ long pass found Tyler Boyd, who fed Bouanga for the brace.
Son Heung-min scored a goal for the second consecutive game, Denis Bouanga added a goal, and LAFC beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Hugo Lloris, who leads MLS with nine shutouts this season, had six saves for LAFC (9-5-3).
Son, who scored his first goal this season Friday in a 3-0 win over the Galaxy, opened the scoring in the 11th minute. The 34-year-old forward pushed the ball wide to his left to create space from a defender and then blasted his next touch inside the near post from the end of the penalty arc.
Mathieu Choiniere played a ball ahead, the last of four consecutive first-touch passes by LAFC, to Bouanga, who raced to the center of the area, cut back to evade a defender and fired a shot into the net to make it 2-0 in the 40th.
DeAndre Yedlin’s own goal capped the scoring in the 68th minute.
Lukas Engel, a 30-year-old defender in his second MLS season, scored his first career goal in the 86th minute for RSL (8-5-2). Rafael Cabral had one save.
Bet your bottom dollar that Son Heung-min, LAFC’s $26 million man — the record MLS fee for an incoming player — would peel himself off the mat and clear away the cobwebs and sorrows of the past few weeks and months.
He did it with a sizzling, right-footed goal in the 57th minute of LAFC’s 3-0 victory Friday over the Galaxy in the 27th rendition of El Tráfico and the first this year. Also, the first crosstown showdown of Son’s so-far, so-so tenure in L.A.
His arrival last August from Tottenham Hotspur in England’s Premier League was met with uncommon fanfare. Here came another global soccer icon to Major League Soccer — and to L.A., where the South Korean sensation was welcomed enthusiastically by a Korean diaspora that’s about 250,000 strong.
LAFC forward Son Heung-Min celebrates after scoring a goal against the Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on Friday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
The first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot, Mayor Karen Bass spoke at Son’s introductory news conference. The Dodgers invited him to throw out the first pitch on Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead night (and turned around this season and produced a bobblehead of Son throwing that pitch).
His first LAFC goal — a free kick over the wall in a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas — was named the MLS’s goal of the year. After notching 173 goals across all competitions with Tottenham Hotspur, he finished with nine goals in his first 10 regular-season appearances for LAFC.
Then the scoring stopped. As if someone turned off the spigot.
Before Friday, Son recorded nine assists but no goals over 13 unlucky matches this season. He went 44 shots without striking a goal. And 237 days between goals, according to The Chosun Daily’s tally.
Yeah, just a bit of what his LAFC teammate Mark Delgado described as “a drought.”
Most painfully, Son also was shut out in South Korea’s disastrously short World Cup stay.
South Korea entered the tournament with the expectation that its “golden generation” – led by Son – would reach the knockout stage. But after it opened Group A with a 2-1 win over Czechia, the Koreans lost 1-0 to Mexico and 1-0 to South Africa and failed to qualify for the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
The uproar in South Korea that followed included the country’s president demanding an investigation.
Mexico’s Julián Quiñones and South Korea’s Son Heung-min vie for the ball during a World Cup match on June 18 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
(Ricardo Mazalan / Ap Photo/ricardo Mazalan)
For his part, a heartbroken Son shared a statement on Instagram: “I don’t dare to convey the disappointment and hurt of the fans with a single word ‘sorry.’ So even saying those words feels insufficient.”
It was impossible not to wonder: What the heck?
Where was the version of Son that everyone was celebrating a year ago?
How did the 34-year-old’s game decline so suddenly?
Was this a classic case of overpromising and underdelivering?
It still might be. LAFC — now 8-5-3 and third in MLS’s Western Conference — is going to face tougher competition in the days ahead than the work-in-progress Galaxy.
But on Friday, the center-forward was aggressive and in control. He took two shots in the first seven minutes, both blocked by defenders. He toyed with the Galaxy just before halftime, lining up to take a penalty before turning it over to Denis Bouanga, who scored to make it 2-0.
Then he and Delgado exchanged passes in the second half to set up Son’s first goal in darn near forever.
LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos gave Son 10 days off after the World Cup, but Son said he was eager to return to L.A., because he so enjoys the camaraderie of this club.
Those good vibes were on display when Son’s shot whizzed between two defenders and the outstretched arms of Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Micovic.
Son put his finger to his lips in the universal “shhh” sign and then did his patented camera celebration — click! — miming a snapshot. Because every goal is precious, and let’s be real, you never know when another will come.
LAFC’s Son Heung-Min celebrates after scoring what could be a breakthough goal against the rival Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on Friday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Around him, the crowd and his colleagues went wild.
Dos Santos did some vein-popping flexing on the sideline. Mathieu Choinière pumped his fists as though he were operating a handcrank. Jacob Shaffelburg and Ryan Hollingshead flanked him on either side as though posing for a family photo. Son’s hair got tousled and nobody wearing black and gold could stop smiling.
“He deserves it, coming back from an emotional World Cup, and joining us right away,” Dos Santos said.
“He’s a great guy,” Delgado said. “He’s been in a bit of a goal drought, and, you know, we all want him to score. We all, he’s always smiling, and in training, he’s always scoring.
“And we’re like, ‘yeah, we need that, we need that!’ Trying to give him confidence,” Delgado continued. “And in games, he finally is getting that confidence back. So to see him score and put the ball in the net and just see his face light up with a smile is awesome. We all want to see him succeed here. We all want him to lead this club like we know he can.”
Now the goal is to keep the goals coming.
“Scoring the first goal of this season, I think it [will] help me,” Son said. “I think, definitely, going forward through the second part of the season. So, let’s keep going, and hope Wednesday [against Salt Lake] I can score another goal.”
Son Heung-min scored his first goal of the season, Denis Bouanga continued his scoring streak in El Tráfico, and LAFC beat the Galaxy 3-0 on Friday night at Dignity Health Sports Park following an international break for the World Cup.
LAFC (8-5-3) evened the all-time series with the Galaxy at 10-10-7. The Galaxy (5-6-5) entered unbeaten in their last three meetings with LAFC.
Mark Delgado, who played for the Galaxy from 2022-24, opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Delgado’s initial header was blocked but it came right back to him for a shot past goalkeeper Novak Micovic.
Bouanga made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time on a penalty kick that Micovic got a hand on. Bouanga has scored 11 goals in 10 matches against the Galaxy across all competitions and has scored in the last seven meetings, the longest streak in the rivalry’s history.
LAFC forward Denis Bouanga does a flip after scoring on a penalty kick against the Galaxy in the first half Friday.
(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Son scored in the 57th after getting a pass back from Delgado.
Up next for LAFC: Hosts Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Up next for the Galaxy: Host St. Louis on Wednesday.
Steve Cherundolo, who took LAFC to two MLS Cup finals in four years as manager, was named Thursday as head coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team that will compete at the 2028 L.A. Olympics.
A three-time World Cup veteran and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Cherundolo, 47, had 30 caps with three U.S. junior teams before making his senior debut in 1999. He went on to play 87 times for the senior national team and played 15 seasons at Bundesliga club Hannover 96, making 415 appearances.
Cherundolo, who grew up in San Diego, transitioned into coaching in Germany at the youth level, then returned to the U.S. in 2021 to lead the Las Vegas Lights, then LAFC’s affiliate in the USL Championship. A season later he replaced Bob Bradley as the head coach at LAFC.
In his first season in MLS, he guided the club to an MLS Cup victory and won the Supporters’ Shield, breaking the record for most victories by a first-year manager with 21. He also had the most wins (29), most points (96) and best winning percentage through 50 games of any coach in league history, won a U.S. Open Cup and took LAFC to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final before leaving the club last November, saying he was returning to Germany with his family.
“Throughout his career, Steve Cherundolo has been a proven winner, an elite talent developer, and a great ambassador for American soccer,” Dan Helfrich, U.S. Soccer’s chief operating officer and the man who led the coaching search, said in a statement. “The 2028 Olympics present a critical platform to develop our next generation of players.”
Cherundolo’s main responsibility as the new head coach for the U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team will be to build a roster for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“Representing the United States at the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honors in sports, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this team,” Cherundolo said in a statement. “I believe we have an exciting group of players with tremendous potential, and I’m looking forward to building an environment where they can challenge themselves, grow together, and represent our country with pride.
“Our responsibility is to compete with courage, humility, and a clear identity, one that reflects the values of U.S. Soccer and gives our supporters a team they can be proud of.”
Remember when we were sure the World Cup would suffer from all the issues that had everyone seeing red before the first ball was kicked?
And remember when we were certain soccer could never catch on in this country?
Despite controversies over visas and ticket prices and transportation, and in spite of consternation over expansion and new rules, the game has, as usual, proved too good to fail.
And we, the American people, have become unusually engrossed in it.
We’ve been tuning in on TV in record numbers and, even at exorbitant prices, helping to sell out our 70,000-some-capacity stadiums. Before group play was even finished, this tournament — staged also in Mexico and Canada — already outdrew the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted by the United States and set an attendance record of nearly 3.6 million.
We’ve been loving the healthy cultural exchange, and we’re being reminded that cultural barriers of traditional sports fandom can be breached.
So now, to keep our interest from drying out like a pitch on a hot summer day, the goal should be to keep the market saturated with soccer. That will take Major League Soccer tearing down all the walls.
It’s already turned the page on its calendar, adopting a summer-to-spring season format that will better blend with the global game.
Now MLS needs to make its games easier to watch, and to do its part to make the sport easier to play.
Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, left, celebrates with teammate Jonathan David after a 1-0 win over South Africa at the World Cup on Sunday.
(Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times)
While the proverbial iron is hot, it needs a strike like Stephen Eustáquio’s winning rocket in the 92nd minute of Canada’s 1-0 victory against South Africa on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Eleven players on the two teams were MLS representatives — including Eustáquio, who spent the last six months in LAFC’s midfield.
Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who played two seasons with LAFC and now plays for Orlando City, stopped the only shot he saw for his second clean sheet this World Cup, which saw the Canadians succeed in their first knockout stage appearance.
There’s been no avoiding MLS players in this World Cup. The greatest of them is piling up goals for Argentina: Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami superstar, is now the all-time World Cup goal-scorer (with 19).
MLS has set an attendance record too, with 44 players participating. It ranks as the league with the second-most players apart from the top five European leagues. LAFC had three current players in the mix.
But wait. Record skip. Before you celebrate the MLS’s contributions to this soccer spectacle, check with the VAR. Yep, without the 13 MLS players representing nations that rank 40th or lower in FIFA’s world ranking, there actually would be fewer than the 37 MLS participants at the World Cup four years ago.
A baby’s first steps are for celebrating, but three decades after the league’s formation, MLS is still searching for a giant leap. It’s still having a mean time of trying to make “fetch” happen for real.
It would help to make its games more readily available — not to the already converted, but to fans who didn’t even know what they didn’t know about soccer until the World Cup began in their backyards.
MLS has already brought MLS from behind Apple’s season pass paywall. And the league and streaming service also reportedly have agreed to a revised media rights deal that will end at the end of the 2028-29 season, three and a half years earlier than expected.
But the hat trick would be to remove the need to subscribe to streaming service to watch MLS games altogether, and then get those matches onto the networks people know to tune into for their sports.
Normalize watching American soccer.
And stop gatekeeping. MLS’s developmental programs are too restrictive and exclusive — they’re not developing more soccer players, they’re curtailing who can play.
It’s in the league’s interests, and the sport’s in this country, to encourage as many players to play as much as they can — including for their high school teams, which MLS Next bars.
They’ve got people in the tent; the goal should be to make them want to stay.
To make them want to join the world’s circus, not to let it pack up and move on, out of sight and out of mind, until it swings back through years from now.
Timothy Tillman scored in the 86th minute, his first goal in more than two years, Thomas Hasal had five saves, and LAFC beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Sunday night in the final MLS match before the 2026 World Cup break.
LAFC (7-5-3) ended a three-game losing streak and a four-game winless stretch.
LAFC has won six straight and is 9-0-1 at home against the Sounders in the regular season. Seattle has two wins at BMO Stadium in the MLS Cup playoffs, most recently a 2-1 victory in extra time to advance to the 2024 Western Conference final.
Tyler Boyd played a cross from the right side to the back post, where Tillman put away a sliding half-volley to give LAFC a 1-0 lead.
Hasal, who had his first shutout since 2022 for Vancouver, made his second consecutive start (his third this season) in the place the injured Hugo Lloris, who is out (leg) indefinitely. Lloris leads MLS with eight shutouts, including an MLS-record six straight to open the season.
Andrew Thomas had two saves for the Sounders (7-3-3).
Seattle has given up 11 goals this season, tied with Nashville — the points leader in all of MLS with 33 — for the fewest in the league.
The Sounders are 3-2-2 and have conceded just four goals on the road this season.
Seattle’s Danny Musovski subbed on for Paul Rothrock in the 69th minute and hit the crossbar with a shot from the center of the area in the 76th.
The Sounders lost 2-0 at home against the Galaxy on May 16 to snap a nine-game unbeaten streak dating to a 2-1 loss at Real Salt Lake on Feb. 28. The loss to the Galaxy also snapped Seattle’s 22-game home unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Recent losses, outside criticism and a sense that the team’s identity has strayed from its original path have left LAFC in an uncomfortable position.
As the team prepares to host the Seattle Sounders on Sunday at BMO Stadium before a mandatory break for the World Cup, coach Marc Dos Santos shared his thoughts on the team’s adversity and goals for the future.
The coach said one of his main self-criticisms involved straying from the attacking identity he intended to build at LAFC since taking over as head coach.
“Outside criticism when the team loses isn’t that important to me because I’ve learned in my life that if you’re going to build a life based on what outsiders think of you, you’re going to be very unhappy,” Dos Santos said. “But in self-reflection, I’ll tell you one thing: I’m hard on myself. I believe we were building something with a clear identity, and after the series against Cruz Azul — in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals — I thought about switching to a three-man backline to defend more. I went in a more defensive direction, and I don’t want to be like that.”
The coach said the tactical change was the wrong move for LAFC.
“It was a mistake on my part, and it doesn’t reflect LAFC’s identity — it’s not what I want to build here,” Dos Santos said. “I want to make sure that this summer I thoroughly analyze what we need to change, and I have to stay true to LAFC’s identity.”
The comments come at a delicate time for LAFC, which has let potential MLS wins slip away despite showing competitive moments recently against St. Louis City SC and Nashville SC.
LAFC had hoped to once again be one of the dominant teams in the Western Conference, but offensive inconsistencies and tactical adjustments have led to questions about the coaching staff. The Los Angeles side sits in seventh place in the West with 21 points, eight points behind the leader, the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Dos Santos dismissed the idea that the problem is solely related to the tactical scheme and insisted that the most important change involves reclaiming aggressive principles with and without the ball.
“When we have the ball, we have to show the character to go after it — we can’t be afraid,” he said. “And when we don’t have the ball, we can’t just sit back. Look at one of the best teams in the world, Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Look at how they run without the ball. That’s soccer today.”
Amid this soccer overhaul, one of the most closely watched names remains Denis Bouanga. The Gabonese forward hasn’t made the same dominant influence as in previous seasons, though Dos Santos insisted that his relationship with the player remains solid and transparent.
“Denis knows what I want. I’ve always been very honest with him,” the coach said. “Last year we played a lot of games in a 3-5-2, defending a lot with Denis and Son [Heung-min,] but the club and I want to move to a different model. We’re all on the same page.”
Son Heung-min will temporarily leave LAFC after the match against Seattle to join South Korea’s training camp ahead of the World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Asian forward said his full focus remains on this weekend’s match.
“I’m not thinking about that yet,” Son said of the World Cup. “The most important match is on Sunday. I just want to make sure we get a great result before heading to the World Cup and arrive in good physical condition.”
Son expects to be tested when South Korea travels to Mexico to play some of its World Cup matches.
“It’s not easy in Mexico, honestly,” he explained. “The altitude and conditions are different, but you have to love those big challenges. We’re really excited.”
As Son prepares to leave, LAFC faces a second-half schedule filled with intense competition. Following the match against Seattle, the club will return from the break to play against the rival Galaxy on July 17.
For Dos Santos, these challenges define the demands of managing LAFC.
“LAFC is a club that wants to win and whose fans want to see it win,” Dos Santos said. “Here, there’s always the responsibility to perform at a [high level]. If you don’t want to be in big games, you don’t coach at LAFC.”
The coach said external criticism isn’t influencing his plans.
“The pressure we feel is the pressure we put on ourselves,” Dos Santos said. “Pressure is when a doctor calls you and tells you you have a problem, or when your child has a problem. Soccer is a sport. You can win or lose. What you can control is improving the team during the week.”
Dos Santos said the World Cup break will serve as a key opportunity for internal analysis before redefining the club’s soccer direction. With the season barely halfway through, the coach said that regaining the team’s identity will be just as important as earning points when MLS returns in the summer.
NASHVILLE — Hany Mukhtar scored three goals, his first hat trick since 2023, and Nashville SC beat LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.
Mukhtar, the 2022 MLS MVP, became the seventh player in MLS history with at least five regular-season hat tricks.
Nashville (9-1-3) leads MLS with 30 points this season and is unbeaten, with five wins, in its past seven games. San José and Vancouver are tied atop the Western Conference with 29 points apiece.
LAFC (6-5-3) has lost three consecutive games and is winless in four straight.
Mukhtar tapped a pass to Warren Madrigal at the top of the penalty box. Madrigal flicked a slick pass back to a charging Mukhtar for the finish from the right corner of the six-yard box in the 13th minute. The 21-year-old Madrigal has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) in the past five games.
Mukhtar also scored on free kicks in the 21st and 59th minutes. The 31-year-old has 101 goals across all competitions in 229 appearances for Nashville.
David Martinez scored a goal for the second consecutive game in the 22nd minute and Denis Bouanga added a goal in the 68th for LAFC.
Brian Schwake had seven saves for Nashville.
Thomas Hasal made his second start this season in place of Hugo Lloris (thigh) and finished with one save. Lloris was injured in training Wednesday and is out indefinitely.
LAFC outshot Nashville 21-8, 9-4 on target.
Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Andy Nájar did not play. Surridge missed his fourth consecutive game because of what the club is calling a “middle body” injury. The 27-year-old forward, who was injured late in a 4-2 loss to Charlotte on April 25, has nine goals in seven appearances (four starts) this season. Nájar suffered a muscle injury in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at New England.
ST. LOUIS — Tomas Totland scored four minutes into the match and fellow defender Rafael Santos added a second-half goal to help St. Louis City beat LAFC for the first time, earning a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night.
Totland used assists from Eduard Löwen and Marcel Hartel to find the net for the first time this season and the third time in 55 career appearances. It was the first assist of the campaign for Löwen and the second for Hartel.
Santos added an unassisted goal in the 64th minute. It was his first score this season and his fourth in 92 career matches. Santos entered the match in the 10th minute for an injured Jaziel Orozco.
David Martínez entered the match in the 70th minute and scored in the 73rd to cut it to 2-1. Nkosi Tafari and defender Aaron Long set up Martínez’s fourth goal this season and his 11th in 58 appearances.
Roman Bürki finished with three saves for St. Louis City (3-6-3), which entered the match 0-5-2 all time against LAFC.
Hugo Lloris did not have a save for LAFC (6-4-3). He leads the league with eight clean sheets in 11 starts.
Mathieu Choinière scored his only two goals of the season — both from long range — to lead LAFC to a 2-0 victory over St. Louis City on March 14.
St. Louis City had scored just 10 goals in its first 11 matches under coach Yoann Damet, second fewest in the league.
Jack McGlynn scored a goal in each half and the Houston Dynamo thumped LAFC 4-1 on Sunday night at BMO Stadium.
McGlynn used an assist from Lawrence Ennali in the 25th minute to score on a shot from well outside the box, giving Houston a 1-0 lead. It was McGlynn’s first goal after scoring a career-high six times last season.
Guilherme Santos scored off a free kick in the 34th minute for a two-goal lead. The first-year midfielder has six goals in 11 matches.
McGlynn had a shot from nearly the same spot hit the far post, also in the 42nd, and Nathan Ordaz answered for LAFC three minutes later to cut it to 2-1 at halftime. McGlynn was booked for a yellow card in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Stephen Eustáquio notched his third assist in seven appearances on Ordaz’s second goal, and Jacob Shaffelburg picked up his second in five outings this season and his 15th in 134 appearances. Ordaz has found the net eight times in 67 matches.
Mateusz Bogusz got a second chance to score in the 51st minute, using his left foot to find the net for the second time for a 3-1 lead. Bogusz scored 18 goals in 60 appearances with LAFC from 2023-24.
McGlynn gave the Dynamo a three-goal lead in the 55th with assists from Ennali and Santos, who already has five helpers. Ennali collected his first two assists of the campaign.
Jonathan Bond finished with five saves for Houston (6-5-0), which improved to 2-3-1 on the road.
Hugo Lloris saved two shots for LAFC (6-3-3), which drops to 4-2-1 at home. Lloris entered with eight shutouts through his first 10 starts, posting three more clean sheets than any other keeper in the league.
The Dynamo have gone 5-2-1 in the last eight matchups, holding LAFC scoreless in five of them.
LAFC beat the Dynamo 2-0 in Houston to close out February.
LAFC’s Sergi Palencia left with an apparent injury in the 42nd minute.
Up next for LAFC: visits St. Louis City on Wednesday.
