Five days between a club record and a collapse
On Wednesday, LAFC kept a 13th clean sheet of the season against the New York Red Bulls, a club record, and ended a six-game run without a league win. On Saturday night in Kansas City they conceded twice inside 45 minutes to the team with the worst goal difference in Major League Soccer, a side that had shipped 58 goals in 23 games.
Marc Dos Santos did not look for softer words. “The problem is in the first half we stayed in the plane,” he said. “I think in the first half we were still in LA. We defended far from each other, passive. We didn’t win any duels in the first half.”
Andre Luiz, Sporting’s club-record signing, set the tone in the 18th minute. He put Igor Jesus on the ground with a cutback and finished for his first MLS goal, then nearly doubled it with a backheel into a volley that Hugo Lloris had to push behind. The second goal was plainer and worse for the visitors: Stephen Afrifa left alone at the back post to head in Taylor Calheira’s cross.
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Bouanga pulls level with Vela
Two minutes into the second half, Jacob Shaffelburg, falling as he played it, found Denis Bouanga at the back post. Bouanga finished, and the goal carried a number with it: 78 regular-season goals for LAFC, level with Carlos Vela at the top of the club’s all-time list.
For twenty minutes the match belonged to him. He had another effort ruled out for offside, forced Stefan Cleveland into a serious save, and his coach felt the equalizer was there. “We were all over them,” Dos Santos said of the half-hour after the break. “We could have tied in two actions.”
One deflection, and it was over
In the 71st minute an Andre Luiz shot deflected straight to Jacob Bartlett, unmarked inside the box, and Lloris had no chance. Yevhen Cheberko pointed at himself for the turnover that started it. “I take responsibility on myself because I need to be better,” he said.
Bouanga had one last opening in the 86th with Son Heung-Min free to his left. He kept the ball, waited, and lost the moment. LAFC are still piecing a squad back together: Igor Jesus started for the first time in more than a year and lasted 45 minutes, Sergi Palencia returned, Armindo Sieb is building fitness. Dos Santos was in no mood to wait for them. “You don’t win games just looking at standings,” he said. “You have to win them on the field.”
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