LAFC’s late spring struggles continued Wednesday night as the defending MLS Cup champions fell 1-0 to Houston Dynamo at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The two sides had faced off just four days prior in Houston, with Dynamo emerging with a 4-0 win in 90-plus degree heat. Temperatures were in the 60s for Saturday’s rematch, but the offensive attack of the emotionally and physically weary Black and Gold remained chilly as well. Houston’s clean sheet left LAFC without a goal in its last 300-plus minutes, across all competitions.
“Everybody knows we are not in our best moment,” said LAFC captain Carlos Vela. “But there are two ways we can go. Go home and cry, or come back tomorrow and work harder to get it back.
“We have to trust in us. It’s the only way.”
Saturday night, the home side played without two of its top attackers, Denis Bouanga and Jose Cifuentes, due to their service with their respective national teams. The CONCACAF Champions League finalists were also missing midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Timothy Tillman and defender Sergi Palencia due to injury.
Despite these missing pieces the early action favored LAFC, with forward Mateusz Bogusz running onto a long pass and lofting it over the head of Houston goalkeeper Steve Clarke and into the Dynamo net, only to watch the offside flag go up, negating the breakthrough goal.
Dynamo’s ensuing buildup resulted in a free kick that was saved by fully extended LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy, but the rebound fell to the left foot of Dynamo defender Micael dos Santos Silva, who finished it by scoring the game’s only goal and the first of his MLS career.
LAFC created three more scoring opportunities prior to half time, with Bogusz sending a cross into the six-yard box toward a waiting Vela that was deflected at the last moment by Houston centerback Erik Sviatchenko. In the 44th minute, an LAFC corner kick bounded off the heads of Giorgio Chiellini, then Ilie Sanchez, before floating just over the cross bar. Moments later, a hard strike from Bogusz was saved by a leaping Clark in what would prove to be LAFC’s only shot on target of the night.
It was a frustrating end to an initial 45 minutes that saw LAFC win the possession battle (67 percent to 33) and complete more than twice as many passes as their opponents.
In the second half, Houston were content to hold a low block and defend, a strategy that served its purpose, particularly after LAFC forward Kwadko Opoku was red-carded in the 79th minute for a low tackle.
Playing a man down, the Black and Gold kept the ball in Houston’s defending third for most of the game’s final minutes, but failed to connect on the key pass or two that might have led to a shot on goal – a familiar refrain since LAFC’s Champions League loss to León on June 4.
“All we can do is keep working on the things we always work on,” said LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, managing a faint smirk. “We’re not changing the way we train, we’re not changing the way we play ... We will continue down the same path that we’ve been going down. And I assure you LAFC will start winning games again.”
Added Vela: “Every team in this league and around the world has a bad stretch, but the good teams change that quick. Or they work harder than others to change that. That is what we will start to do.”
With the loss, LAFC is now 7-3-5 for 26 points. The club remains in third place in the Western Conference, three points off conference leaders St. Louis CITY.
Houston’s victory was their first of the season on the road.
LAFC will seek its own success away from home when they face Sporting Kansas City on Saturday June 17 at 5:30 PT.
