It’s Saturday, October 10th, and matchday 29 of the 2026 MLS season, with LAFC set to host the Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. It’s a clash of two sides that have met in the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. This is the second time the two sides will face off this season, following their first meeting on August 1st at BC Place in Vancouver. That match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Son Heung-min scoring in the 37th minute and Thomas Müller equalizing from the penalty spot in the 76th minute. This match, however, will be the start of a new era for LAFC, with an interim manager on the sideline for the first time in the club’s history. After a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas, LAFC parted ways with manager Marc Dos Santos on September 27. His tenure lasted less than a year after he took over from Steve Cherundolo. Dos Santos leaves the club 6th in the Western Conference table with 41 points, from 11 wins, 8 draws, and 9 losses, with only one win in LAFC’s last ten matches. For some time, fans hadn’t been happy with the club’s reliance on transition play under Dos Santos. Even in matches with plenty of goals, much of the output came from the individual talent of Bouanga and Son rather than anything tactical. Dos Santos instilled a defensive and conservative mindset in the team that upset many throughout the year and, eventually, the club itself. With six matches left, LAFC have named Xavi Tamarit interim head coach to manage the team for the rest of the season while the club searches for the right permanent fit. Tamarit joined the club in January and has two decades’ worth of coaching experience across leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga. LAFC come into the match winless in their last three. After ending a six-match winless streak with a win over RBNY, they faced last-place Sporting KC and lost 3-1. They then drew 2-2 with San Jose after leading by two goals at one point in the match. Most recently, they lost 1-0 to FC Dallas in a match where six players were away on international duty, including star players Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min. The Vancouver Whitecaps currently sit at the top of the Western Conference with 50 points, from 15 wins, 5 draws, and 7 losses in 27 matches, one fewer than LAFC. They come into this match in mixed form, leaning toward the negative side. After a 2-1 loss to Montreal that eliminated them from the Canadian Championship, Vancouver beat Real Salt Lake 0-3 away in Salt Lake City. They then returned home to face D.C. United, drawing 3-3. Earlier this week, they traveled to Chicago to play Robert Lewandowski’s Chicago Fire in a match originally scheduled for July but postponed due to hazardous air quality caused by wildfires in Canada, and lost 3-1. Vancouver’s attack has been one of their strongest points this season, with Thomas Müller and Brian White being important pieces for the team, Thomas Müller with 15 g/a and Brian White with 19 g/a. LAFC enter a new chapter in their history under interim manager Xavi Tamarit, hoping he can spark a turnaround and lead the team through the last six matches and into the playoffs. For Vancouver, a win would help them retain the lead in the Western Conference and clinch the playoffs as soon as possible.