LAFC earned the top seed in the Western Conference for the upcoming Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs thanks to a 3-1 win over San Jose on Saturday night combined with a 2-1 loss by the LA Galaxy in Houston.
LAFC and the Galaxy finished the regular season with identical 19-8-7 records (64 points), but Marlon’s 91st-minute goal gave LAFC the two-goal advantage it needed to take the top spot in the Western Conference on a goal differential tiebreaker.
As a result of winning the West, LAFC will open the playoffs at home against the winner of Wednesday’s Wild Card match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers. The date and time of the first game of that Round One Best-of-3 Series will be announced soon.
The opening 45 minutes of tonight’s game did not go to plan for LAFC as the Earthquakes took a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute thanks to a goal from Jackson Yueill while the home side was unable to record a shot on goal.
However, in the second half, LAFC was able to ramp up the pressure on the San Jose goal, scoring three times while producing 11 shots on target, a club record for the most shots on target in a single half of play.
Denis Bouanga equalized for LAFC in the 64th minute, collecting a poor clearance inside the penalty area and firing a right-footed shot past San Jose goalkeeper Daniel to tie the score at one.
Eleven minutes later - and just 28 seconds after entering the game - Eduard Atuesta put LAFC up for the first time, playing a one-two with Kei Kamara at the top of the box before hitting a low, right-footed shot that went in off the post, making the score 2-1 in the 75th minute.
Still needing at least one more goal to have a chance at winning the West, LAFC continued to push forward, leaving San Jose’s Amahl Pellegrino alone for a breakaway, only to have LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris make a point-blank save off a close-range shot in the 88th minute. Just a few minutes later, in the first minute of stoppage time, LAFC scored a third when Marlon headed an Atuesta free kick into the net for the first goal of his MLS career, giving LAFC a 3-1 win.
The Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs field is confirmed with LAFC, as the Western Conference’s top seed, set to host the winner of Wednesday’s Western Conference Wild Card match between No. 8 Vancouver Whitecaps and No. 9 Portland Timbers. The dates, times and ticket information for the Round One Best-of-3 series will be announced at a later date.
NEWS & NOTES
- With the win, LAFC finished the regular season with a 19-8-7 record for 64 points. This is the third-best regular season in club history behind just the 2022 season (67 points) and the 2019 season (72 points.)
- This was LAFC’s final regular-season home game of the year. LAFC finishes the season with an 11-2-4 home record for 37 points.
- LAFC will enter the MLS Cup Playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference for the third time in the club’s seven seasons of play. The last time it did so was in 2022 when it won the MLS Cup.
- LAFC ends the regular season on a five-game winning streak and it has won its last six games in all competitions dating back to the U.S. Open Cup Final win over Sporting Kansas City on September 25.
- LAFC is now unbeaten in its last seven home games against the Earthquakes, going 6-0-1 in that time and outsourcing the Earthquakes 22-9.
- Going into the playoffs, LAFC has played 46 games in 2024, playing 34 MLS games, seven Leagues Cup games and five U.S. Open Cup games. LAFC is 29-9-8 in those 46 games, including 18-2-5 at home.
- Denis Bouanga scored LAFC’s opening goal, giving him 20 on the season. This is the second straight season in which he has scored 20 goals, becoming the fourth player in MLS history with 20 or more goals in consecutive seasons and one of five players to record 20 or more goals multiple times.
- Bouanga’s 20 goals leave him tied with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez for the second most in MLS this season. Only Christian Benteke scored more than Bouanga, scoring 23 times to win the Golden Boot.
- Bouanga’s 20-goal season is the 36th 20+ goal season in MLS history and he is one of 30 players to score 20 or more goals in a season.
- Eduard Atuesta entered the game in the 75th minute (74:14) and scored 28 seconds later, giving LAFC a 2-1 lead.
- Atuesta would later add an assist, giving him a goal and an assist in the same game for the third time this season and the fifth time in the regular season in his LAFC career.
- Marlon scored his first-ever goal for LAFC in the 91st minute. He is the 13th different player to score a regular-season goal for LAFC this year and the 16th to score in all competitions.
- Kei Kamara was credited with an assist on Atuesta’s goal for his sixth of the season. That is tied for the fourth-most on the team this season and just two shy of his MLS career-high of eight, despite playing just 1,001 minutes on the season.
- Each of LAFC’s last two goals were scored by substitutes. That means that three of LAFC’s last four goals, including the last two game-winners, were scored by substitutes.
- After failing to register a shot on goal in the first half for just the fifth time this season, LAFC recorded a club record 11 shots on goal in the second half. The 11 shots on goal tonight were tied for the second-most by the club in any game this season.
- Hugo Lloris finished the game with four saves, giving him 97 on the season, which are the second most in a single season in LAFC history.
