It was not looking good for LAFC.
Heading into the half trailing 3-1, LAFC, one of the favorites in the MLS is Back Tournament despite not having Carlos Vela, looked like it would end its first night in the tournament in an early hole in Group F, especially with its next match a critical one against the crosstown rival LA Galaxy, looming in five days. A loss to the Houston Dynamo would have left LAFC with very little room for error for the remainder of the group stage.
LAFC however summoned the resolve that had resulted in its immediate success since entering the lead. A key six-minute stretch beginning in the 63rd minute lifted LAFC’s hopes, as two goals during that span enabled LAFC to avert disaster, and they turned a two-goal deficit into a 3-3 draw.
LAFC’s comeback was led by its two Uruguayan Designated Players, Diego Rossi and Brian Rodriguez. Their goals during that six-minute span salvaged the point and got the Black and Gold’s tournament hopes back on track.
Rossi got LAFC’s comeback going in the 63rd minute. LAFC had the ball in Houston’s half of the field, Eduard Atuesta took a ball from Francisco Ginella, took a touch before playing Diego Rossi into the penalty area, Rossi blasted a ball that beat Keeper Marko Maric far post to finally get LAFC on the board.
Six minutes later, LAFC had a set piece inside Dynamo territory. Rodriguez sent the free kick into the penalty area, Houston’s Mauro Manotas headed the ball out, the ball fell to LAFC’s Mohamed El-Munir, who miss-hit a ball, but it went to Latiff Blessing, who played a perfect ball to Rodriguez, who had snuck behind the Houston defense and fired a ball past Maric for the equalizer. It was Rodriguez’s first ever goal in an LAFC shirt.
The goals came flying in the match basically from the start. The Dynamo’s Memo Rodriguez opened the scoring nine minutes in, as he held a ball just outside the penalty area, got Blessing in the air with a pump fake, continued forward, then fired a shot at the line of the box just as LAFC Center Back Dejan Jakovic was closing in, and the shot beat LAFC Keeper Kenneth Vermeer near post to put Houston in the early lead. LAFC however canceled out the advantage in the 19th minute, as Blessing took a ball from Mark-Anthony Kaye, maneuvered past several Dynamo defenders, played a ball to Rossi, who crossed into the six-yard box and Bradley Wright Phillips touched the ball past Maric into the back net for the equalizer.
Houston however took control the match from that point on. The Dynamo regained the lead in the 30th minute, as Zarek Valentin crossed into the penalty area, Rodriguez who raced past defender Tristan Blackmon to the ball, Rodriguez one-timed a ball that was saved by Vermeer, but the ball fell back to Rodriguez, who simply touched the rebound attempt into the back net for the brace. Houston doubled its lead in stoppage time, though there was a little more drama attached to this goal. Houston had a free kick deep in LAFC territory, Darwin Quintero sent the set piece into the penalty area, and it was a perfect set piece, as the ball went to Alberth Elis, who headed a ball past Vermeer far post. The goal however was initially waived off, as the linesman judged Elis to be offside when the ball was sent in. Referee Timothy Ford however gave the signal for Video Review, and the replay showed Elis to be in an onside position, therefore the call was overturned.
LAFC now braces for the MLS is Back version of El Trafico, as they await the Galaxy on Saturday night
Los Angeles FC
