When LAFC played its regular-season opener on February 22, Ryan Porteous and Andy Moran were putting in 90-minute shifts that day in the English Championship.
Seven-and-a-half months later they are integral parts of an LAFC side that is rolling into the MLS Cup Playoffs on a six-game winning streak, the newest pieces in a roster that has shape-shifted all season while playing in four competitions against clubs from six different countries – yet is only gaining strength as the most important part of the year approaches.
“It was unexpected, it was something that I didn’t have planned,” Moran, a 21-year-old Irish midfielder on loan from English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, said about the interest LAFC showed him this summer. “When I spoke to John and Neil [Co-President and GM John Thorrington and Technical Director Neil McGuinness] and they kind of set out the plan for me and how it would look, it was just such an exciting opportunity and it was something that was hard to say no to, especially being at the very business end of the season.”
Yes, the playoffs are nearly here, but this story begins back in February, following “an offseason unlike any other,” as Thorrington called it, when LAFC was faced with revamping its roster following a successful 2024. The club would end up replacing six starters from last year’s Western Conference Semifinal, plus five other key contributors, then throwing this group of newcomers into a competitive fire that included the FIFA Club World Cup.
The biggest losses were in midfield and the back line, and that was before injuries took their toll. So this summer Thorrington and McGuinness reached across the pond to Moran, and to Porteous, a 26-year-old Scottish centerback with English side Watford F.C.
“I had offers elsewhere in the Championship [England’s second tier], offers to go back to Scotland, other places abroad,” Porteous said, “but the conversations I’ve had with people that have played in [MLS], where this league’s going, the World Cup being here next year, the infrastructure, the facilities, the stadium, the fan base—people from the UK would need to be here to understand how big it’s getting, and it’s only going to grow even more.”
There was another attraction, said the native of cloudy Edinburgh. “I’ve been pretty sun-deprived in my life,” Porteous joked in his Scottish brogue. “That was just an added bonus to the decision.”
Moving to sunny LA in August came with a cost, though. Porteous said his biggest adjustment “was getting used to the heat and trying to get myself in a good condition to be able to be thrown in and play 90 minutes.”
Moran, a Dublin native, agreed. “The weather can cause a bit of a difference in intensity,” he said of MLS matchdays. “It’s harder to press for 90 minutes. Teams can’t do that because the heat — you couldn’t withstand it for 90 minutes.”
So the new teammates from the British Isles acclimatized together. “We joined at a similar time, stayed in the same hotel, played in the same league back home,” Moran said. “We have a lot in common. Obviously it was an easy first friendship to build when I got here.”
More friendships followed.
“The locker room is brilliant,” said Porteous, whose teammates call him Porto. “I’m not just saying that. You’ve got a lot of big characters in there but there’s no cliques or individuals. It’s all as a team. It’s a very good environment to be in.”
Moran felt the same. “It’s been so easy,” he said. “It’s such a good changing room. The lads make it so easy to settle in, and we’re building relationships on the pitch as well, which is important.”
Moran has an aunt and uncle who live in the Bay Area, so his parents flew in from the Green Isle and caught his MLS debut against the Quakes on September 13. His parents returned to LA with him and stayed for a week, followed by his brother. “I’ve been acting the tourist, seeing all the spots,” said Moran, who has made six total appearances and provided an assist (to MLS Golden Boot contender Denis Bouanga).
The 4-2 win in San Jose was Porteous’ third game in black and gold, and his second straight 90-minute shift in the back, alongside his other new best friend Nkosi Tafari (“We’re complete opposites, but it just works, you know what I mean?”) and in front of legendary goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
“He’s someone that’s not been talked about a lot since I came here,” Porteous (who has logged seven straight starts) said of the World Cup champion, “but he probably enjoys that. He’s so down to earth, and he’s one of the best goalies to ever play the game.”
FUN AND FIRE
Head coach Steve Cherundolo said Moran brings “a lot of positive energy, not just in personality and character but also on the field, and I think that is really helpful for us, especially at this stage of the season … It lifts everybody else up. I saw his dad after a game [at BMO Stadium] on the side of the field and they were blown away by the atmosphere.”
Where the teenager Moran is bright-eyed and eager, Porteous is intense—a veteran of the rough-and-tumble Scottish Premiership who is unafraid to, let’s say, instruct, his teammates. “I love it, I love every bit of it,” Cherundolo said. “It’s exactly what we needed, a vocal leader, an emotional leader.”
Asked if he’s just as intense off the field, Porteous laughed. “I think I’d be a very lonely person if I was the same off the off the field as to what I’m on. If anybody met me on the field, they wouldn’t like me. But I’d like to think anybody that knows me off it knows I am a completely different person.”
While Porteous was settling in, LAFC was recruiting forward Alexandru Bǎluțǎ from Romanian top-division club FC Steaua București, and defensive midfielder Jailson (Jailson Marques Siqueira) from Celta Vigo of Spain’s La Liga. Both made their debuts for LAFC as late subs in the 2-0 win over Toronto on October 8.
Cherundolo called Bǎluțǎ “technically a very gifted player, experienced player, can really help in the final third with finishing plays, whether it’s a final pass, a finish by himself, finding windows and pockets. He’s very quick in tight spaces. We’ve had a few games recently where it hasn’t been very easy to break down teams in a deep block and Alex is a player that has all the tools and experience to do that.”
“For me, it was a big pleasure joining here,” said Bǎluțǎ. “I was so happy when I heard about the transfer. I didn’t wait a long time to say yes. It was really quick and I just wanted to be here fast.”
“I think we have a pretty good process of integrating new players,” Cherundolo said of the Great Roster Churn of 2025, which has resulted in the club’s fourth straight top-four finish. “If I get my stats right, I think we’re one of the top teams as far as number of players that we have fielded over the last couple of years. That means a lot of players coming and going. It’s a little bit of a product of our league and our environment and roster building when you are successful. It means players have to go, and you have to find replacements. Our onboarding process is pretty efficient. It has to be.”
And then there’s LAFC’s highest-profile summer signing, Son Heung-Min, who has helped this onboarding process even as he has benefited from it. “[Son] has built a very good relationship with Denis and the other forward players,” Porteous said. “I think we all knew the quality he had, but what’s impressed me more is him as a person. Off the park he treats everyone the same. He’s a top, top person and he’s always there for advice and to try and help these younger lads coming through like myself.”
“He’s brilliant to play with,” Moran said of the South Korean star. “His movement is so clever, he causes the opposition trouble even when he doesn’t have the ball, they’re always thinking about where he is and it opens up space for the rest of us. Linking up with him—his one- and two-touch play is perfect—it’s easy. He’s a dream to play with.”
With the playoffs come pressure, but this group’s resilience has hardened to the tune of an 18-4 goal differential during its current winning streak. Cherundolo feels they’re ready for the postseason grind.
“If I had a choice of having a finished roster at the beginning this season or on the first of October, I would prefer the first of March,” Cherundolo said with a smirk. “But better late than never. Finishing the season strong in our league is obviously more beneficial than starting strong.”
“And to top it off the weather’s good,” a grinning Porteous added. “We had our first bit of rain this morning when I was driving in for training. Everyone was delighted. I was like, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’”
