LAFC wins MLS playoffs opener against Austin
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred
LAFC struck first and earned a victory on Wednesday, beating Austin FC 2-1 in Game 1 of their series during the first round of the MLS playoffs.
LAFC finished the regular season in third place in the Western Conference, hosting sixth-seeded Austin FC at BMO Stadium for the first game of the best-of-three series that will determine who advances to the Western Conference semifinals.
Twenty minutes into the game, Ryan Hollingshead broke down the left wing and sent in a low cross. Brendan Hines-Ike tried to clear the ball, but it ended up in his own net for a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Austin FC equalized after Nkosi Tafari misplaced a clearance inside the box, causing confusion in the L.A. defense. With a couple of passes, Jon Gallagher ended up connecting with the shot to make it 1-1 in the 63rd minute.
LAFC is one of the hottest teams in MLS with their one-two punch of Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga. Will the duo carry them to an MLS Cup title?
Nathan Ordaz, who had only been on the field for a short time, scored the 2-1 goal in the 79th minute. Son Heung-min sent a short pass to Denis Bouanga, who fired a powerful shot that was deflected but still headed toward the goal. Ordaz sought to secure the score and only had to push the ball in.
The play appeared to be an obvious offside by Ordaz, who held his head after scoring, thinking he had made a mistake, but following a protest by Austin FC players, the play was reviewed and then confirmed by VAR as valid.
“I just wasn’t sure if I was onside or not,” Ordaz said. “So I was just like, ‘Wow, everybody is going to hate me if we end up losing in PKs.’ So yeah, thank God I wasn’t. Huge sense of relief. Some of the teammates were a little bit angry at the situation because they also didn’t know. Obviously my reaction, kind of made me look guilty because I just truly had no idea. But yeah no, thank God I wasn’t offsides — huge relief.”
LAFC leads the series 1-0 and will travel to Austin for Game 2 of the series on Sunday at Q2 Stadium (5:45 p.m. PST, Apple TV).
Son Heung-min is more popular than K-pop in South Korea, and as a result LAFC is quickly becoming the country’s favorite soccer team.
LAFC, led by coach Steve Cherundolo, closed out the season with a 6-1-1 streak during its last eight regular-season games. Austin FC, meanwhile, went 4-4 during the same stretch. One of Austin’s wins was a 1-0 victory over LAFC on Oct. 12 in Texas. LAFC was without stars Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga because they joined their national teams.
Since Son’s arrival in August, he and Bouanga have formed an explosive partnership. They have scored 20 goals in the 10 games they have played together, including an MLS record streak of 18 consecutive goals between Aug. 23 and Oct. 5.
Austin FC finished the regular season with 47 points, the second-highest total in its five-year history. The team also set a new club record by keeping nine clean sheets during the regular season.
Wednesday’s game marked the start of its second playoff appearance since its MLS debut in 2021.
With his positive attitude and game-changing abilities on the pitch, Son Heung-min could be the catalyst that turns LAFC into MLS Cup contenders.
Six players remain on the roster who were part of the Austin team that reached the Western Conference Final in 2022, when they were eliminated by LAFC, so this series represents a rematch for them. During the current season, Austin defeated LAFC during both regular-season meetings by a score of 1-0.
Austin’s victories came with headers off corner kicks, a detail that reflects the team’s effectiveness on set pieces.
If LAFC advances in the playoffs, the team may not get another chance to play at home. Cherundolo will be stepping down at the end of the season to move with his family to Europe, but he didn’t seem bothered by the possibility the road an MLS Cup might take his team away from L.A.
“I love [winning on the road]. I prefer always to play in front of our home fans but there’s something, for me at least, being an ex-defender, really fun about winning away,” he said. “I’d love it. We had the experience to win at home and it would maybe be complete to have that experience away.”
“We haven’t been able to raise a trophy away from home, and we’ve had a few opportunities. That would be amazing.”
This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
