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Morning update

Morning update: LAFC rolls, Nashville stagnates, Sargent in form, & more

It is the middle of the week and ASN has a morning update to kick off Wednesday, starting in Southern California
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
April 08, 2026
8:00 AM

HAPPY WEDNESDAY to all ASN readers, earlier this week we had big columns up on the top stories in MLS and in the world of Yanks Abroad. There was a lot of good to report, such as the young players in MLS making big impacts, as well as difficult news in Patrick Agyemang. But now e turn our attention to the midweek news to bring you up to speed.

Let’s start in the Champions Cup

 

LAFC defeats Cruz Azul in 1st leg

 

It was the David Martinez show in Southern California as the 20 year old Venezuelan attacker scored two fantastic goals to lead LAFC to a 3-0 win over Cruz Azul in the first leg of its Champions Cup quarterfinal in California. Next up will be the return leg in Mexico City.



While LAFC has been the home of established veteran players such as Denis Bouanga, Son Hueng-Min, and Hugo Lloris, Martinez represents the club’s push for top younger players. So far this season, Martinez looks as if he will become a very valuable asset for the team that will eventually fetch a lot of money.



Even 3-0 leads can be tricky when heading to Mexico, but LAFC is yet to concede a goal this season and is playing outstanding soccer on both sides of the ball.

For MLS, it is important for LAFC to advance as they remain the best hope for league’s teams to win the tournament.

 

 Nasvhille wasteful in Club America draw

 

Nashville SC faces a daunting task of needing to win the second leg in Mexico City against Club America to advance. The first leg on Tuesday ended in a 0-0 draw where Nashville had the better of chances but could not find the back of the net.



Despite being the league’s leading scorer in 2025, Sam Surridge missed a big chances just before halftime while Alex Muyl and Hany Mukhtar also failed to put away good opportunities.  

Club America still had its chances and will certainly have more in the return leg in Mexico City.

 

Cardoso out for Atletico

 

There were hopes that the injury which forced Johnny Cardoso out of the U.S. national team’s March camp after the first game was minor. It still might be but Mauricio Pochettino indicated that Cardoso resting over the weekend (due to his suspension for the weekend game) would help him to get back soon.

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But Cardoso will not travel with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday when it faces Barcelona in the first leg of its Champions League quarterfinal.

 

Sargent rounds into form

 

Josh Sargent hasn’t scored in a long time due to injuries, a tough run at the end of his tenure with Norwich, and the mess over his transfer. But the St. Louis native hopes his scoring touch is returning after scoring the winning goal for Toronto in a 3-2 win over Colorado on Saturday.

Sportsnet in Canada has a nice piece on Sargent talking about how he is feeling as a player.

"Big relief. It's been a while since I've scored. After I missed that first [scoring chance] in the first half, I was pretty frustrated. So, I would've been upset if I didn't get a goal by the end of the game,” Sargent said. "I would say I feel very good now. I think these types of things take time for sure. And as I'm sure all of you have seen, I've been through a lot the last couple months. So, I'd like to say that I'm in a good place for sure."



Sargent faded from the national team program in 2025 and he hasn’t scored for the USMNT since 2019. Translating club success to the international level has been tricky for him.

Sargent is still way outside the picture for this summer’s World Cup, but the injury to Patrick Agyemang changes things as everyone else moves up on the ladder. It is still Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun, and Haji Wright leading the way but one more injury could open the door for Sargent or Brian White.

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