Not much has been going right for LAFC these past few weeks.
The hangover of losing the CONCACAF Champions League carried into MLS play that past week. First was a scoreless draw with Atlanta United in which LAFC squandered a chance to win from the penalty spot, then it was swept in a home-and-home series with the Houston Dynamo
On Saturday night, playing on the road against Sporting Kansas City looked like it would be more of the same, as Sporting took the lead on an Alan Pulido’s penalty early in the first half. However, LAFC was finally able to summon a resolve that had been missing these last two weeks. First Denil Maldonado tied the match early in the second half, the Carlos Vela won the match late in the half, and LAFC finally snapped out of its post-CCL funk with a 2-1 win at Children’s Mercy Park.
LAFC struggled to get out of the gate at the start of the match. Kansas City was on the attack in the 12th minute, as Tim Leibold dribbled down the left side, played Gadi Kinda into the penalty area, Maldonado tried to defend the play but got both the ball and Ginda, who then pleaded for the penalty, but initially to no avail. However, referee Rosendo Mendoza soon got the gall to go to Video Review, and while it took a while, Mendoza and the VAR official Younes Marrakchi determined that Maldonado did foul Ginda inside the penalty area, thus Kansas City was awarded the penalty. Alan Pulido converted from spot in the 17th minute, powering the shot to the left side, even as keeper John McCarthy guessed right and actually got his fingertips on the shot.
Sporting took the lead into halftime, but LAFC pushed across and equalizer two minutes in. Following a corner kick attempt, Mateusz Bogush crossed into the penalty area and Maldonado headed a ball past keeper Kendall McIntosh near post to tie the game. LAFC then won the game as stoppage time began, as McIntosh cleared a ball out of the penalty area, LAFC center back Aaron Long got got to the clearance and sent the ball back forward to Vela, who was kept onside by Khiry Shelton, Vela touched a ball into the penalty area, then slotted the shot past McIntosh far post to give LAFC the lead, turns out for good.
