Whitecaps at LAFC preview: West leaders visit a struggling LAFC under interim coach Xavi Tamarit

LAFC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, Oct. 10, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, with kickoff at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) on Apple TV. Vancouver arrives as the Western Conference leader with 50 points; LAFC sits sixth with 41 and will play its first game under interim head coach Xavi Tamarit.

How does LAFC come into the game?

LAFC fired head coach Marc Dos Santos on Sept. 27, the night after a 1-0 loss at FC Dallas, ESPN reported. Dos Santos had been in charge for less than one full season after replacing Steve Cherundolo. The club later named Tamarit, who joined the staff in January, as interim coach for the rest of the season. In the club's announcement, president of soccer operations John Thorrington said LAFC has full confidence in Tamarit and that its ambitions for 2026 are unchanged.

The results explain the decision. LAFC is 1W-4L-5D in its last 10 MLS games, according to MLSsoccer.com, and its last five league matches went like this:

The attacking talent is still there. Denis Bouanga became LAFC's all-time leading scorer in MLS regular-season play with his goal at San Jose, his 79th, and he has 14 league goals this season, according to MLSsoccer.com. Son Heung-Min assisted on that record-breaking goal. LAFC (11-9-8) has played 28 games, one more than most of its rivals, so it has only six left to secure its place.

How does Vancouver come into the game?

The Whitecaps (15-7-5) lost 3-1 at Chicago on Tuesday night in a makeup game, with a lineup missing several players who were away with their national teams. Thomas Müller started on the bench and came on at halftime. Vancouver's last five league games show two wins, one draw and two losses: a 3-0 win over the LA Galaxy, a 2-1 loss to Austin, a 3-0 win at Real Salt Lake, a 3-3 draw with D.C. United and the defeat in Chicago.

The loss cut Vancouver's lead at the top of the West to three points over St. Louis CITY SC and FC Dallas. The schedule does not ease up: four days after this trip, the Whitecaps visit St. Louis on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

What happened in recent meetings?

The teams drew 1-1 in Vancouver on Aug. 1 in their only meeting so far this season. ESPN's head-to-head record for their last five matches gives Vancouver two wins, LAFC one, and two draws. The Whitecaps' last win at LAFC came in June 2025, a 1-0 result.

What's at stake

For Vancouver, three points would keep a cushion over the chasing group with seven games left. For LAFC, the game is the first chance for Tamarit to change the trend of the last two months and protect a top-six spot. Only three points separate LAFC from fourth-place San Jose, and Seattle sits three points behind in seventh.