By any other club’s measure, it’s been a season to celebrate. In addition to winning the U.S. Open Cup and reaching the Leagues Cup Final, LAFC has gone 17W-8L-7D in MLS play so far in 2024, amassing 58 points, fourth-best in Major League Soccer.
But for LAFC the 2024 season is far from complete. The Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs – and the chance to play in its third straight MLS Cup Final – await.
“To go as far as we did in Leagues Cup, to go all the way to the end in Open Cup and still be fighting for first place in the league is really tough to do,” defender Aaron Long said after Saturday’s 3-0 win in Kansas City. “It's a credit to the roster. It's a credit to the coaching staff and the GM for putting this roster together, and the rotations they're making. It's been fantastic from the whole group, top to bottom.”
The win in Kansas City clinched home-field advantage for LAFC in its Round One, Best-of-3 playoff series, which if it began today would pit LAFC against 7th-place Minnesota United. But every team in the Top 7 has one more game on its schedule (except LAFC, which has two), with eight points separating the first-place team from the fourth, so the Western Conference postseason picture remains decidedly TBD.
“I think for us, the most important thing is staying healthy and getting some freshness back and some rest,” head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “We'll get a couple of days off now, a little breather before we go to Vancouver. We will be missing a few international players in Vancouver, as will they, so we'll have to make do without them.”
INTERNATIONAL CALL-UPS
In all, three players on LAFC’s senior roster have been called up by their national teams and will miss Saturday’s match against the eighth-place Whitecaps.
Forward Denis Bouanga will likely start for Gabon when it takes on Lesotho in a pair of group stage qualifying matches for Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), on Oct. 11 in Franceville, Gabon, and on Oct. 15 in Durban, South Africa.
Defender Maxime Chanot will compete for Luxembourg against Bulgaria on Oct. 12 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and against Belarus on Oct. 15 in Luxembourg City, in Nations League group stage play.
Forward Cristian Olivera and his Uruguay teammates will play two World Cup qualifiers—the first against on Peru on Oct. 11 in Lima, and the second against Ecuador on Oct. 15 in Olivera’s hometown of Montevideo, Uruguay.
Additionally, LAFC2 midfielder and LAFC Academy product Bryan Moyado will travel to South America with the United States’ U-20 team for a pair of friendlies against Chile, which will host next year’s U-20 World Cup.
AWARD NOMINEES
Major League Soccer this week announced the nominees for its 2024 Year-End Awards, which will be decided by players, technical staffs and select media. Voting concludes October 21.
Bouanga is up for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award (he finished second to Cincinnati’s Lucho Acosta last season). Cherundolo is a Coach of the Year nominee.
Defender Omar Campos and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris – teammates separated by 15 years – have been nominated for MLS Newcomer of the Year. Campos and Olivera, both 22, are among the Young Player of the Year nominees. (The Newcomer and Young Player of the Year awards require players to have played a minimum of 500 minutes in MLS play, otherwise 18-year-old winger David Martínez, who has scored three goals in his last five MLS appearances, would have been nominated for both. With four goals in just 363 minutes in league play, the 22 Under 22 honoree has averaged a goal every 90 minutes.)
Aaron Long and Sergi Palencia have been nominated for league Defensive Player of the Year honors. Lloris is up for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Midfielder and captain Ilie Sánchez is LAFC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which “honors an MLS player who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community during the 2024 season.”
Defender Eddie Segura, who has put in the longest continuous service with the club since he joined LAFC in 2018, is nominated for Comeback Player of the Year after his courageous return from two knee injuries in 2021 and 2022, plus the year of rehabilitation that preceded his return to the pitch in 2024, where he has made 25 appearances in MLS play.
LAFC2 PLAYOFFS
LAFC2 has earned the first MLS NEXT Pro Playoff bid in its history. The fifth seed in the West, LAFC2 will travel to St. Louis to face second seed St. Louis CITY2 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Oct. 20 at 12:00 p.m. PT.
All MLS NEXT Pro Playoff games will air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The competition will feature 15 single-elimination matches over four consecutive weekends, leading up to the championship game, MLS NEXT Pro Cup, which will be played the weekend of Nov. 8.
10 YEARS OF HISTORY
LAFC’s home match against San Jose on October 19 will include a “10 Years of History” and Fan Appreciation celebration, marking a decade since Los Angeles was awarded an MLS franchise, and the LAFC community’s boundless support since then.
Before and after the 6:00 p.m. PT kickoff, all are invited to celebrate with:
- FOOD & DRINK: 50% off in-stadium concessions until 5:30 p.m.
- MERCH: the new LAFC HQ Outlet opens its doors with special discounts and end-of-season sales
- FREE GIVEAWAY: every fan receives a “10 Years of History” banner courtesy of DoorDash
Just before the match, a full-stadium mosaic and tifo display will be revealed, and the team and its supporters will celebrate the 2024 U.S. Open Cup trophy, which LAFC won on Sept. 25.
LAFC travels to play Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday, Oct. 13. The game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT, from BC Place in Vancouver, and will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
