LAFC takes a 2-1 lead to Toluca on the 7th for the second leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, with the return match set for Estadio Nemesio Diez at 2,670 meters above sea level. Toluca needs to erase the deficit at a ground where it has lost only once in 17 home games this season.
The first leg on the 30th of last month belonged to LAFC, and Son Heung-min helped make the difference with two assists in the 2-1 win. He now has two goals and 15 assists in 16 official matches this season, numbers that have carried LAFC deep into the competition and into one of its hardest road tests.
Marc Dos Santos did not start Son in the regular-season away match against San Diego FC on the 3rd, then sent him on in the 15th minute of the second half. Son responded with the assist on the equalizer in a 2-2 draw. That came after he played the full 90 minutes against Cruz Azul last month at 2,130 meters, where he had only 24 touches and one shot.
Dos Santos said, in effect, that LAFC understands how difficult the trip to Toluca is, but believes the club has earned this place through its own quality and hopes the match becomes a memorable night that sends the team into the final. The altitude is part of the reason the assignment feels bigger than a standard semifinal. Estadio Nemesio Diez, nicknamed El Infierno, has a reputation built on both the crowd and the air.
That matters beyond this week because South Korea will meet Mexico in Group A at the 2026 World Cup, and Akron Stadium, the venue named in that context, sits at 1,570 meters. For Son, the Toluca visit is not just about surviving a semifinal. It is another test in conditions that may matter again next summer.
The next answer comes on the field. If LAFC can protect its lead at altitude, it goes to the final stage; if Toluca can lean on its home record and turn the second leg, the semifinal opens back up fast.