LAFC advanced to the Round of 16 in this year's edition of the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 win against the Las Vegas Lights at Cashman Field on Wednesday night.
It was a good night for LAFC despite head coach Steve Cherundolo being issued a straight red card in the second minute of first-half stoppage time after a clash of players near the technical area.
The Black & Gold struck first by way of a Kei Kamara header. LAFC corraled a cleared corner kick and sent the ball out to Timothy Tillman on the left wing. Tillman's cross was finished by Kamara for his first goal in an LAFC shirt to make it 1-0 just two minutes after the break.
Las Vegas' Shawn Smart equalized in the 56th minute, but the Black & Gold would not be denied as they continued to pile up chances. Cristian Olivera broke the deadlock when he tapped home Omar Campos' deflected cross in the 70th minute. Olivera then put the match out of reach in the 91st with his second goal and LAFC's third to cement the 3-1 win and passage to the next round.
In the Round of 16, LAFC will host USL Championship (Division II) side Loudoun United at BMO Stadium in two weeks' time. Details and ticket information are now available. The match will be streamed live on usopencup.com, MLSSoccer.com and uslsoccer.com.
The Black & Gold returns to MLS action this Saturday, May 11 when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 7:30 p.m. PT at BMO Stadium. That match can be seen live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV with radio coverage on 710 AM ESPN LA, the ESPN LA app, SiriusXM FC, and 980 AM La Mera Mera (Esp).
