After the longest season in the history of Major League Soccer Major League SoccerAfter the longest season in Major League Soccer history, Los Angeles FC still has one more week of work ahead of it. A 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo means LAFC will advance to its second consecutive MLS Cup final.
LAFC Tested for Strength on the Field
In the first half, Ryan Hollingshead scored a late goal, giving LAFC the lead. Then, in the 80th minute, Houston's Franco Escobar scored an own goal, securing the win for LAFC.
With this victory, LAFC secured its place in the MLS Cup Final and won the Western Conference title.
They will now travel to Columbus next weekend for a title game. The Crew defeated FC Cincinnati 3-2 in a thrilling match the previous Saturday.
LAFC did not give up a minute of effort, despite a long season with a total of 52 games in 2023, which is an MLS record for total games in a competitive year.
LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo expressed his great pride in the achievements of the past two years.
The strategist highlighted the mental fortitude of the players throughout the year, facing numerous challenges and ups and downs.
He recognized the group as special and expressed his daily appreciation for it. He emphasized that on the night in question, the players were able to reward themselves and noted the intention to look to achieve the same next week.
Maxime Crépeau made five saves in his third consecutive clean sheet for LAFC, which has not conceded a goal since October. Despite being an attacking team since the club's inception, LAFC has looked more like a dominant defensive team in recent weeks.
Denis Bouanga, MLS Golden Boot recipient, commented on the team's performance by stating that they executed their game strategy and excelled defensively. Although their six-game scoring streak came to an end against Houston, Bouanga indicated that the team is clear on what actions to take.
He made reference to the performance in Seattle the previous week and expressed the intention to repeat the same approach in the upcoming showdown in Columbus.
Bouanga emphasized that the team is sure of how to approach both offense and defense, and stressed that this was demonstrated in that night's performance.
Ryan Hollingshead 🆚 Dénis Bouanga.
The playoff goal race is on.#LAFC pic.twitter.com/2MVVVzrkzz3- LAFC (@LAFC) December 5, 2023
Houston Unable to Respond
Although Houston had over 70% possession, LAFC's defense led by Giorgio Chiellini and Diego Palacios frustrated the Dynamo, whose nine-game winning streak ended just before the club's first MLS Cup Final since 2012.
Hollingshead, the defender who has scored three goals in the MLS playoffs after scoring just four in the entire regular season, noted that the Dynamo like to employ a "tiki-taka" style of play.
The player explained that as a team they decided to allow them to have the ball for as long as they wanted, as, according to him, they did not generate dangerous opportunities, except for a half-chance in the first half of the match.
Despite their heavy workload and losing several key players from last season's champion team, including Chicho Arango and the retired Gareth Bale, the Black and Gold have come to the brink of a second consecutive title.
LAFC's final home appearance felt momentous for reasons beyond the win. The Los Angeles crowd gave Carlos Vela a standing ovation when he came on in the second half of what could be his final game at BMO Stadium.
Chiellini, the Italian standout who joined LAFC from Juventus 18 months ago, may have played his last home game. The 39-year-old is rumored to be considering retirement.
In the first four minutes, Carlos Vela nearly gave LAFC the lead twice, just before the smoke cleared from the packed BMO Stadium due to the pre-match fireworks display.
The tie was finally broken in the 44th minute when Giorgio Chiellini's low header from Vela's corner was saved by Steve Clark, but Ryan Hollingshead tapped in the rebound to score.
Houston had not even trailed during its nine-game unbeaten streak since Sept. 23.
In the second half, LAFC experienced nervous moments on defense, but managed to keep their penalty area clear of threats in front of Maxime Crépeau, the Canadian goalkeeper who made a solid late-season comeback after suffering a broken leg during last year's MLS Cup Final.
LAFC's persistence was rewarded with another goal when Denis Bouanga sent a pass to Diego Palacios, whose shot was sent into the net by a sliding Franco Escobar.
This unfortunate mistake affected Escobar, who played 19 games for LAFC last season, and his teammates tried to lift his spirits after this disappointment. Despite Houston's efforts, they were unable to recover on the scoreboard.
