LAFC had to wait a little bit longer, but it was worth it.
Coming off being eliminated in the Leagues Cup tournament, LAFC was looking forward to jumping back into its quest for both a second straight Supporters Shield and back-to-back MLS Cup titles. Mother nature however delayed those plans, as its match against the Colorado Rapids, originally scheduled for Sunday, August 20th, was instead pushed back to Wednesday due to the onset of Tropical Storm Hilary. Despite the long delay, LAFC did not show any rust, as they jumped on the Rapids early and did not let up, cruising to a 4-0 win at BMO Stadium.
I thought it was, from the start pretty much to finish, excluding the first ten minutes of the second half, was a complete performance with and without the ball,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “I was quite pleased with
the way our players approached the game. The intensity and the speed of play was where we want it to be.”
The win allows LAFC to keep pace in the Western Conference Standings, as they closed to within four points back of St. Louis City FC for the top spot in the conference.
LAFC took control of the match in the first half. LAFC got things going in the 19th minute, as the effort of Ryan Hollingshead to win a ball near midfield resulted in possession for LAFC, as Vela got the ball, then led a break down the middle lane. Vela played a ball to Bogusz on the left side, Bogusz then switched a ball to his preferred right foot, then fired a shot past keeper Marko Ilic far post to open the scoring.
LAFC was just getting started. Vela got on the scoresheet himself in the 29th minute, as Ilie Sanchez beat Ralph Priso to an open ball and in the process, sent a ball to Vela, who had just gotten behind the Rapids backline, Vela touched into the penalty area, then sent the shot past Ilic into the back net to double the lead. LAFC finished off its dominant half in the 36th minute, as Denis Bouanga touched a ball to Hollingshead, who then dribbled down the left side into the penalty area, and despite having Vela in the middle and Mario Gonzalez at the far post area, Hollingshead chose to take the shot himself, and it turned out to be the right decision, as he sent the left footed shot past Ilic far post, and just in a blink of an eye, LAFC was up 3-0.
A lot of it is the way the play develops and the feeling of the moment,” Hollingshead said of his goal. “There are ways the ball is rotating across the field and also a balancing act with the other outside backs so if one is going then the other is covering. There are just moments when you see space and you can exploit it. I come from an attacking background, so I like getting into those spaces. Whenever I get the chance, I like to go for it.”
LAFC continued its dominance in the second half. LAFC thought they had a fourth goal in the 62nd minute, as Bouanga head a ball towards the penalty area, Andreas Maxso tired to keep Bouanga in his sight, but ended up going to the ground, which freed up Bouanga for a shot on goal, and he chipped a ball high over Ilic into the back net. However, video review was initiated and referee Guido Gonzales Jr. concluded that Bouanga pushed Maxso to the ground, therefore a foul was called on Bouanga, thus negating his goal. LAFC was undeterred, and pushed across that fourth goal in the 83rd minute, as Erik Duenas fought off Connor Ronan for possession, then played a ball to Bouanga, who then played Olivera into the penalty area and Olivera’s one-timer beat Ilic near post to finish off the night for LAFC.
