LAFC were back to their scoring ways on Wednesday evening as they sailed past Western Conference leader St. Louis City in a 3-0 match that snapped their winless streak at four.
After a nervy goalless stalemate, Carlos Vela opened the flood gates with just twenty minutes remaining, Stipe Biuk followed with another goal ten minutes later, and José Cifuentes added a final to leave fans of the Black and Gold elated. Their first win at BMO Stadium since June 21 which took them back up to second place in the conference, was well worth the wait.
“It took a lot of hard work in that first hour to really take the wind out of their sails,” Steve Cherundolo admitted in postgame. LAFC are now two points behind St. Louis City with one match remaining until the month-long Leagues Cup pause.
Midfielder Cifuentes, who has in recent months been linked with a move to the Rangers, registered an assist in the 72nd minute, volleying a long ball towards a sprinting Vela who didn’t hesitate as he used a half-touch to control the ball before kicking it past St. Louis defenders and beyond the grasp of goalkeeper Roman Bürki.
It was Vela’s 7th goal of the regular season. Ten minutes later, Vela flicked a ball towards a darting Bouanga who then broke down St. Louis’ left flank then selflessly passed the ball square to Biuk who slotted it into the net marking his third goal of the season and MLS career. It was smooth sailing for LAFC as they put the final touches in on a memorable night by delivering a final goal served up by Cifuentes himself.
The 19-year-old Nathan Ordaz, who has consistently received more minutes this month, showed his growth in form by looking up thoughtfully before sending the ball to an open Cifuentes. The resulting stoppage time goal was Cifuentes’ first this year and an apt reward for his efforts throughout the match. The resounding victory ended a run of 14 consecutive matches with 2 or fewer goals by the former MLS Cup champions.
The win also meant a temporary halt to the criticism and doubts Cherundolo has been facing in the months since the CONCACAF Champions League Final regarding his ability to manage the rigorous schedule and mental fatigue in the team’s ranks.
“We’ve been improving slowly but surely over the past couple of weeks, and we will get back to these types of games regularly once we get our full squad back,” Cherundolo explained, sounding more positive than he has in months. “What we as a coaching staff try to do here at LAFC is to give our players a large toolbox and to train them moments to understand what phase of the game they’re in and what the game needs in that moment. I think our guys did a great job after scoring the first goal to keep their foot on the gas to score a second and finish the game off and the third is cosmetic but a good fun goal to watch.”
With just one match left in the week before a period of rest until their participation in the Leagues Cup, LAFC are close to a much-needed break, a chance to catch their breath, to train consistently, to bond as teammates, and to recover from what has been a challenging mid-season.
