LAFC's rough patch just got a whole lot rougher.

The black-and-gold stumbled into St. Louis on Wednesday night, hoping to snap a two-game losing streak that had been hanging over them since June 2025. Instead, they walked out of Energizer Park with a third straight defeat—a 2-1 loss to St. Louis City SC that leaves the team at 6-4-3 and searching for answers.

For St. Louis, this was a milestone moment. After seven meetings without a single win against LAFC, they finally broke through. And they did it while sitting 14th in the Western Conference, making this only their third victory of the season. Sometimes, the timing just clicks.

LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos didn't mince words after the match. "None of our players right now are at 100%," he admitted, pointing to a brutal stretch of two games per week over the past ten weeks. "But for me to see a group of guys that, after the last two games, come here and dictate the play... and still leave here without one point, it's not deserving for this group."

The game started about as poorly as possible for Los Angeles. In just the 4th minute, St. Louis defender Tomas Totland connected on Eduard Löwen's assist, beating Hugo Lloris for his first MLS goal of the season. It was the kind of early punch that can set the tone—and unfortunately for LAFC, it did.

The first half settled into a tense stalemate, but St. Louis struck again in the 64th minute. This time it was substitute defender Rafael Santos, who pounced on a deflected cross from Sergio Córdova to finish from close range. His first goal of the year doubled the lead and put LAFC on the ropes.

Credit where it's due: LAFC didn't fold. Just nine minutes later, David Martínez delivered a moment of brilliance. Nkosi Tafari launched a long pass across the pitch, and Martínez read it perfectly, lifting a delicate chip shot over St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki for his eighth goal across all competitions. It was the kind of finish that reminds you why this team is dangerous—even when things aren't going their way.

But the comeback fell short. Dos Santos noted after the match that Martínez, who started on the bench, is dealing with the same fatigue that's affecting the entire squad. The message was clear: this team is running on fumes, and the schedule isn't letting up anytime soon.

With the World Cup break still on the horizon, LAFC will need to dig deep—both mentally and physically—if they want to stop this slide before it becomes something worse.