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After a long road trip, LAFC finally get a home game on August 31st. The reason this day was significant and will be remembered is because that’s the date that Sonny Heung-Min made his LAFC home debut to a crowd of nearly 23,000 thousand fans. Aside from that monumental moment, the league leading first-place San Diego FC were the visiting team on the night.
A huge game for LAFC and SD. LAFC attempting to keep climbing in the standings and trying to secure a top 4 seed, while SD attempting to maintain their full grasp on the Supporters Shield. This is also a game where LA had an opportunity to showcase that their new look squad is a formidable challenger to San Diego, come playoff time.
The crowd was absolutely jacked and on fire for this SoCal showdown! It only took 15 minutes for Deni Bouanga to make the fans go berserk with a nifty goal over the SD goalkeeper. 1-0 LAFC. Good start for LA, credit David Martinez for recognizing the streaking Bouanga and feeding him a pass. Then Deni did what he does best, score goals.
Bouanga had another opportunity 10 minutes later to extend the lead for LA, but no dice. San Diego did manage to capitalize in the 33rd when Anders Dreyer found Chucky Lozano he laid out a shot that was deflected off LAFC defender Nkosi Tafari and past Hugo Lloris. SD FC ties the game at 1-1. Tough break for LA.
LA had a few chances to close out the half with a lead, but were unable to put one away. At halftime the game was tied 1-1. LAFC looking good and creating chances. San Diego finding an opportunity to tie the game. It’s what they do.
The second half started out with good pace for both teams. Both teams showing the urgency of the three points and playing into the new rivalry. Artem Smolyakov had a near goal when the shot went just wide of the far post. LA still aggressive and if they continue this, a goal should come.
The Dreyer effect is real. LA saw it happen to them when Dreyer got loose in the box and got past Smolyakov and Eddie Segura and hit a low shot that clipped Smoly and went into the goal. Dreyer does it again and gives San Diego a 2-1 lead with less than 30 minutes left in the match.
Over the final 25 minutes LAFC was relentless on the attack, putting extreme pressure on the San Diego defence and getting high quality opportunities. Unfortunately for LA none of those chances lead to goals. They outshot SD 9-1 over the last 30 minutes of the game plus stoppage time. Son hit one off the post. Nathan Ordaz had a golden chance squandered in the final moments. San Diego somehow was able to weather the onslaught and run away with three points.
Just very unlucky for LAFC. They battled to the very end. Creating a ton of chances with explosive play and pace. They deserved a goal and at worst a draw, but it just wasn’t meant to be on this night. They did look like the better and more deserving team for most of the night, but SD capitalized on their moments that mattered. Tough home loss for LAFC to their rivals down the PCH.
Getting wins has been tough for LAFC over the last month, draws on the road in Chicago and Dallas, and a win in New England, but this loss hurts the most. LA will be able to get a breather and relax, as they have an off-week coming up. They return back on the road in two weeks when they had up the coast to San Jose.
Fun game, great atmosphere, Son was very good once again. Anders Dreyer is an absolute stud and he proved once again why he’s one of the leading players to be MVP this season.
LA showed that they can create instant offense. Some good things to take away, even if the result wasn’t what they hoped for. The team is gelling quickly. The roster has gone through big changes in the last month and coach Cherundolo has some work cut out to find the right player pairings and lineups in the final stretch of the season.
NOTES:
- With the loss, LAFC is now 11-7-8 on the season including an 8-4-2 mark at home.
- In all competitions this year, LAFC is 13-4-4 at BMO Stadium.
- Denis Bouanga’s goal in the 15th minute was his team-best 15th in the league this season and 21 in all competitions. He is now five goals shy of becoming the first player in MLS history to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive seasons.
- Bouanga now has 90 goals in 142 career games with LAFC, leaving him three goals shy of equaling Carlos Vela’s club record of 93 goals scored in an LAFC shirt.
- David Martínez was credited with the assist on Bouanga’s goal. That was his second of the season.
- Son Heung-Min and Ryan Porteous each made their BMO Stadium debuts in the game while for Porteous it was his first-ever start for LAFC.
- Mathieu Choinière started his first league game at home for LAFC. He debuted for the club in the Leagues Cup finale against Tigres and played in all three games during the club’s recent road trip prior to tonight.
LAFC is back in action following the international break, on Saturday, September 13, when the club travels north to take on the San Jose Earthquakes at Levi’s Stadium. That game is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. PT and can be seen live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
