Mark Delgado lifts LAFC to CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 in win over Colorado

When John Thorrington began remaking LAFC’s roster this offseason, there were several traits he was looking for. He wanted players who were talented but also wanted versatility, leadership and big-game experience.

In other words, he wanted players such as Mark Delgado.

Delgado rewarded that faith Tuesday, scoring the lone goal in LAFC’s 1-0 win over Colorado in the deciding second leg of a first-round CONCACAF Champions Cup playoff at BMO Stadium. The score left the teams tied, 2-2, on aggregate goals, but LAFC will advance to the next round on away goals, thanks to Aaron Long’s late score last week in Colorado.

LAFC will play host to the Columbus Crew in the round of 16 on March 4. The second game will be played March 11 in Columbus, where LAFC lost both the 2023 MLS Cup final and last summer’s League Cup final.

LAFC, playing in the CONCACAF tournament for the third time in six seasons, made the final in its two previous trips, the only MLS team this century to accomplish that. But it’s also the only MLS club to lose two finals, falling to Tigres UANL in a single game in a COVID-19 bubble in 2020 and losing both ends of a two-leg final to León three years later.

LAFC’s deep CONCACAF run in 2023 forced the team to play an MLS-record 53 matches that season, covering enough miles to circumnavigate the globe 2½ times. It was a lesson learned for Thorrington, the general manager, who said the team he built this winter is the deepest LAFC has had at the start of a season.

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One of those additions was Delgado, a versatile midfielder who helped the Galaxy to an MLS title last season, then got a multiyear contract from Thorrington after moving 11 miles up the freeway to LAFC last month.

“When we look at players — and obviously scouting domestically is easy to see guys all the time — there are certain characteristics we look for,” said LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo, whose team will play at least 10 games in the first 39 days of this season. “Players who are winners, players who play both sides of the ball, MLS experience.

“We were going through a little transition of our roster to try to get a little younger, but you still need some some experience in the middle and Mark was that piece of the puzzle to put it all together. So we're very happy he's with us, and he's fit in very well.”

If Thorrington’s rebuild added depth, experience and versatility, it didn’t add much scoring punch. LAFC’s only score in the CONCACAF opener, a 2-1 loss, came on Long’s header in the 87th minute. And the team got just one goal in its MLS opener, a 1-0 win over Minnesota United last Saturday.

LAFC was sixth in the 29-team league in scoring last season.

But with Long’s goal carrying extra weight in the CONCACAF Cup’s aggregate scoring, LAFC needed just one score to eliminate Colorado and it got that four minutes into the second half.

David Martínez set up the goal, driving hard up the right side of the penalty area, then sending a low, right-footed cross into the center of the box where a sliding Delgado got just enough of his right boot on the ball to redirect it past Colorado keeper Zack Steffen.

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The goal was Delgado’s first since joining LAFC and it made the 29-year-old Southland native the only player to score for all three of its MLS teams, including now-defunt Chivas USA.

“It felt great. It was exciting,” Delgado said of his history-making goal, which came in front of the LAFC supporters in the north stand. “I was happy to celebrate it with the team. And celebrate the victory.”

Second-half sub Nathan Ordaz appeared to double the lead in the 74th minute, but the score was waved off because teammate Jeremy Ebobisse was offside. So it fell to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to preserve LAFC’s advantage on the away-goal tiebreaker and his defense made it easy; Lloris was not called on to make a save in recording his second shutout in four days and his 16th in all competition since coming to L.A. last winter.

The Rapids have yet to beat LAFC at home in eight tries and have failed to score in their last five visits. Colorado has been outscored 23-2 at BMO Stadium.

The game was delayed for several minutes late in the second half after Colorado’s Chidozie Awaziem complained to the officials that LAFC’s Sergi Palencia had directed a derogatory term at him after the two battled on a free kick deep in the LAFC end.

"He was clear about what was said,” said Colorado coach Chris Armas, who did not repeat the term. “Our club, myself, are fully behind our player to support him with the investigation."

As Palencia came toward the sideline, he wagged his finger as if to say he didn’t make an offensive comment.

“I don't know exactly what was said. I'm sure the referees will write a report on that and we'll figure it out from there,” Cherundolo said. “We want to support the players and play the match. So we'll let we'll let the referees figure it out.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.