Forgotten Scotland international goes step closer to maiden trophy as he plays key role in record-breaking run
Scotland international continues to impress across the pond.
Scotland international Ryan Porteous took a huge step towards winning the first major silverware of his senior career as Los Angeles FC beat Cruz Azul 3-0 in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-final first leg on Wednesday night.
Porteous, 27, played the full 90 minutes of the clash as Marc Dos Santos’ side ran riot at the BMO Stadium, as they extended a club record 11 games unbeaten in all competitions. Ex-Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min opened the scoring after half an hour, before David Martinez ensured they would take a commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg with strikes either side of the break (39, 58).
Alongside Timmy Tillman, brother of former Rangers playmaker Malik, the former Hibs defender has been one of his team’s standout performers so far this season. Impressing at the heart of defence yet again, he won all bar one of his aerial duels and completed 90% of his passes as he helped Los Angeles keep their third successive clean sheet, and seventh shut out in their last nine games in all competitions.
“They’re a really good team,” said head coach Dos Santos. “In the beginning, they controlled the game with the ball really well. We were finding it tough to put a little bit of pressure on them. Then when we won the ball their counter pressure was very good and we had a tough time getting out of pressure and finding ourselves in good spots.”
Should Porteous and his teammates navigate the return fixture against Cruz Azul without any issues on April 15, they’ll enter the semi-final stage of the Concacaf Champions Cup for the third time in history, which is scheduled to take place between 28–30 April (first leg) and 5–7 May (second leg).
However, should Porteous and his team make it to the final of the competition, it will throw up a potential dilemma for the defender. Set to take place on Saturday, 30 May 2026, the showcase will collide with Scotland’s final pre-World Cup friendly against Curacao at Hampden Park.
While Porteous has not played for the national team since appearing off the bench in the dying embers of the 1-0 Nations League relegation playoff first leg against Greece in March last year, his form at club level combined with the potential for Steve Clarke naming a bumper 55-man preliminary squad could see him given one final opportunity to win a place in his World Cup squad.
Currently top of the MLS Western Conference with five wins and a draw from their opening six games, the result means that the 13-cap international is on course to lift silverware for the first time in his career across two different competitions, with the club hopeful of winning their first MLS Cup since 2022.
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