LAFC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps - Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs - Round One Best-of-3 Series - Game 3
Friday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. PT
🏟: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Following a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps last Sunday in Game 2 of their Round One Best-of-3 Series in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, LAFC hosts the Caps for a must-win Game 3 at BMO Stadium on Friday, November 8.
Sunday’s loss tied the Best-of-3 Series at one game apiece, and ended the Black & Gold’s seven-game winning streak across all competitions. “They are a tough team to beat,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said of the eighth-seeded Whitecaps. “They are a hard working team, and disciplined … [They] work together and I think that's what makes them effective.”
With a chance to eliminate Vancouver from the MLS Cup Playoffs for the second straight season, LAFC carries a 19W-2L-5D record at home this year into the decisive match, which will be the twelfth encounter between the teams since the beginning of 2023. LAFC holds a 7W-2L-2D advantage in the previous 11 matchups, with a plus-9 goal differential (24 goals scored and 13 conceded).
Whitecaps In Depth:
Coached by Vanni Sartini, the ‘Caps are looking to pull off an upset in the Round One Best-of-3 Series as they aim to reach the playoffs' second round for the first time since 2017.
Vancouver comes into the match with a 1W-7L-4D all-time record at BMO Stadium. Its only victory there was a 3-2 regular-season win in the summer of 2023.
Leading the attack is Designated Player Ryan Gauld, who has scored five goals in just three playoff appearances this year, with six total goal contributions. Both numbers rank first in MLS. Gauld netted Vancouver's only goal at BMO Stadium in Game 1 and also scored the opening goal in Game 2. “We know that we’ve done a good job,” Gauld said this week, “but we also know that we’ve got a huge task ahead of us on Friday. It could be a very different game. We’ve got to treat it like a new game.”
The Black & Gold Can Win If:
It can recover from the double-blow of being shut out in a postseason match for the first time in club history and suffering its first loss in more than a month. LAFC aims to turn the page in front of its home fans at BMO Stadium, where it has not lost a playoff game since 2019 and is undefeated in its last five matches across all competitions.
With another chance to advance and secure a spot in the Western Conference Semifinals, LAFC will need to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Despite the shutout, the team registered 17 shots in Sunday’s match, with nine of those coming from the attacking trio of Mateusz Bogusz, Denis Bouanga, and Olivier Giroud. “We are going to be very offensive because we have to win,” Bouanga said Wednesday. “We are at home and we will treat this like it’s a final. It's up to us to set the pace.”
Vancouver Can Win If:
They get on the scoreboard first and disrupt LAFC’s offense while puncturing an LAFC defense that had conceded just five goals in the previous seven matches prior to Game 2. “We got the three goals [in Game 2] but we didn’t really create that much,” Gauld said. “We never really tested the keeper too much so there’s definitely more that we can give going forward. Being strong at the back again is going to be big for us, and making sure that we carry that into Friday.”
