LAFC Wins Its First Three MLS Games for the First Time as David Martínez Sinks FC Dallas 1-0

David Martínez picked up the ball about 25 yards from goal, took one touch to shift it onto his left foot and hit it before anyone in a white shirt could do anything about it. Michael Collodi dived. The ball was already tucked inside the post.

That 55th-minute strike was the only goal on Saturday night at BMO Stadium, and it gave LAFC a 1-0 win over FC Dallas in front of 22,130. It also put a small piece of history on the board. According to the club, this is the first time in LAFC history that it has opened an MLS season with three consecutive victories, and five across all competitions once the Concacaf Champions Cup is counted.

Hugo Lloris handled the rest. Five saves, a third clean sheet in three league games, and a diving stop on Petar Musa deep in stoppage time that kept a tidy night from turning into a nervy one.

Dallas Brought the Volume

If you only watched the first half hour, you would have guessed the visitors were the team with the perfect record. Dallas came out in a 3-4-2-1 and kept testing Lloris from range. Musa sent a free kick high and wide in the 14th minute and dragged a shot from the middle of the box wide a minute later. Then Logan Farrington and Ramiro forced Lloris into saves in back-to-back minutes, each set up by Musa. Bernard Kamungo had a shot blocked in the 27th and another saved in the 28th.

LAFC's attack was more selective. Denis Bouanga, fed by Son Heung-Min, forced Collodi into a save at the bottom right corner in the 23rd minute, and Son tested him from a tight angle on the left just before the break. Son's night had started with a yellow card in the 10th minute, when the referee ruled he had gone down too easily. Shaq Moore was booked for Dallas right before halftime, and it went to the locker rooms scoreless.

Seven Minutes That Flipped It

The second half opened like the first. In the 48th minute, Musa slid Farrington in on the left side of the six-yard box and Lloris got down to keep it out of the bottom left corner. Musa headed over moments later, and Christian Cappis skied one from distance in the 52nd.

Three minutes after that, the game changed. Stephen Eustáquio found Martínez, who fired a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top left corner. The club said the 20-year-old Venezuelan international needed exactly one touch to set it up. It was the kind of finish that makes 15 shots at the other end feel irrelevant.

From there LAFC looked comfortable managing it. Bouanga had two more looks, in the 70th minute off a Martínez through ball and in the 79th off a Son pass, and Collodi stopped both. Dallas threw on Ricky Louis and Kaick in the 73rd minute and Patrickson Delgado five minutes later, then won back-to-back corners in the 81st. Sebastien Ibeagha's header from a Cappis cross was blocked, and Kaick fired over in the 85th.

The fourth official put up seven minutes of added time. Musa had a header and a shot blocked in the 94th minute, then met a Herman Johansson cross in the 96th, only for Lloris to save in the center of the goal. Louicius Deedson's last swing went high and wide.

Who Stood Out

David Martínez did a little of everything before coming off in the 80th minute. Two shots, one goal, the through ball that created Bouanga's 70th-minute chance, and five free kicks won, which tells you how much Dallas struggled to stay with him. The club noted that both of his league goals this season have been game-winners; he also scored the winner in the opener against Inter Miami on Feb. 21.

Hugo Lloris was the reason the one goal held up. His five saves came at the moments Dallas looked most likely to score, and the club said he now has 27 shutouts in 68 regular-season games for LAFC.

Denis Bouanga put all three of his shots on target. On another night one of them goes in and this is a comfortable two-goal win.

For Dallas, Musa did everything but score: a team-high six shots, plus the passes behind three attempts that Lloris saved. Collodi made four saves, and the club noted he became its first Homegrown goalkeeper to start three consecutive matches since 2019. Joaquín Valiente made his first start for FC Dallas, and Louis, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, made his MLS debut off the bench.

The Turning Point

The 48th minute. Farrington was about as close to goal as anyone got all night, Musa had picked him out, and Lloris kept it out. Seven minutes later Martínez scored at the other end. One side converted its moment; the other did not, and that was the match.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Dallas 15, LAFC 8. Both teams put 5 on target.
• Saves: Lloris 5, Collodi 4.
• Possession: LAFC 61.2 percent, Dallas 38.8 percent.
• Passing: LAFC completed 541 of 627 passes; Dallas completed 298 of 380.
• Corners: Dallas 7, LAFC 4.

What It Means

LAFC is 3-0-0 with 9 points and has outscored its opponents 6-0 after wins over Inter Miami at home and at Houston. The club said that puts it in a four-way tie for first place in MLS with San Diego, San Jose and Vancouver, and that LAFC, San Diego and San Jose have each done it without conceding a goal. Head coach Marc Dos Santos has used the same starting lineup in all three league games, per the club. Why fix what keeps winning?

The all-time series with Dallas now sits at 8-4-3 in LAFC's favor across all competitions. Next is the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 first leg against Alajuelense at BMO Stadium on Tuesday, March 10, followed by a home league game with St. Louis CITY on Saturday, March 14.

FC Dallas falls to 1-1-1 with 4 points. A 3-2 home win over Toronto opened the season, then came a 0-0 draw with Nashville and now this, which means two straight league games without a goal. Dallas returns to Toyota Stadium to host San Diego FC on Saturday, March 14.

Closing Take

Dallas had more shots, more corners and, for long stretches, more ideas. LAFC had one swing of a left foot and a goalkeeper who refused to blink. It is the group project where one teammate shows up for a single slide and still walks out with the A. Very effective if you are wearing black and gold.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Club notes from LAFC (lafc.com) and FC Dallas (fcdallas.com).