LAFC takes top spot in West Division after thrilling game at El Trafico
The LA Galaxy returned to their spiritual home at the Rose Bowl to host LAFC in the 23rd annual El Trafico, a Fourth of July showdown between the Western Conference leaders heading into Game 24.
The 102-year-old stadium was where the Galaxy played their MLS debut in 1996 before a crowd of 69,255 and drew a crowd of 82,110 last year in a 2-1 victory for the Galaxy. On Thursday, LAFC won 2-1 in front of a packed crowd of 70,076 fans as the two teams played against each other.
With this win, the Derby series now has 9 wins, 9 losses and 5 draws.
40 minutes later, 39-year-old Kay Kamara I jumped up like a superhero and went home Mateusz BoguszA corner kick. Before the half-time whistle, Dennis Buanga He scored a penalty kick — Julian OrdFoul Eduardo Atuesta — LAFC leads 2-0.
The Galaxy continued to attack relentlessly in the second half, closing in on the one-point lead. Gabriel PeckThe goal is Miki Yamane 56 minutes: The Galaxy continued to trail LAFC until the final whistle, but were unable to score an equalizer.
LAFC currently sits atop the conference, with the Galaxy tied for second with Real Salt Lake.
Charlotte is almost here
Charlotte FC is slowly becoming one of my favorite teams in the league. The crowd is always loud, they fight like crazy, and they quickly built a strong identity that led them to a playoff berth. Having a club and fan culture like Charlotte is a dream for many teams in MLS, but the team has only been established for a few years. Charlotte's 2-1 loss to Inter Miami on Wednesday was a reminder of how much the team has come, but also the steps they still have to take.
Charlotte dominated the first half against the reigning East Division champions as they soaked up pressure, defended well outside Miami's goal and broke through with speed and purpose in transition. Sergio Busquets and Cello WeigandCharlotte is not very good at switching defenses and is slow to return. Kerwin Vargas and Rail Avada Consistently across acres of space; and Patrick Agyemang Physically dominated the centre-backs Tomas Aviles and Serhiy Kryvtsov The duel produced Charlotte's lone goal.
Emphasize the word “lone” in that sentence.
Charlotte was in great position in the final minutes but couldn't capitalize on its advantage, and despite having an expected goals rating of 1.10 by halftime (their goals were just 0.09 of that value), they repeatedly failed to finish off their dinner.
“We missed too many chances in many games. If we had taken those chances we would definitely have been in the top three.” […] That's the biggest problem we had,” the coach said. Dean Smith He said this after the game.
This team is in desperate need of a striker who can consistently score goals, and while Agyemang is physically strong and can stretch the backline, he doesn't have the talent in front of goal to be Charlotte's talisman.
After halftime, Miami made some changes to try to stave off the deficit. Coach Tata Martino Busquets moved to centre-back Yannick Breit To help with the defensive transition. And it worked. Miami dominated the second half and Charlotte struggled to create chances due to limited space in the midfield. Now, I want to address Charlotte's second big weakness: their playmakers.
The team has been rumored to be looking to hire a No. 10 player all offseason, and it's clear why: They need a central player in attack who can get the ball to Charlotte's exciting wingers on the back line. The 34-year-old Ashley Westwood He currently leads the team in expected assists and passes into the final third.
That won't do if you want to compete in the East.
Youth in Utah
On Wednesday, Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo faced off in a West Division matchup that fans generally love. With both teams dominating the ball and favoring fast-paced, easy-to-watch football, this matchup was definitely the highlight of the day on Wednesday's schedule. And that expectation was fulfilled in spades.
The game was action-packed, especially early on, as Dynamo scored an early goal thanks to some great teamwork and some lax defending from RSL's makeshift centre-back pair (both full-backs), after which Salt Lake's attacking prowess took over.
21 year old Andres Gomez has been a mainstay for the Claret and Cobalt all year, and Wednesday was no exception. He caused the Houston defense serious problems all game long with his speed, talent and tenacity, most notably with his goal to tie the game in the first half.
The goal and game-winning assist gave the Colombian 11 goals and nine assists this year, and it's safe to say he won't be expected to stay in Utah for long.
Gomez's partner Diego Luna also thrived in the team's 3-2 win, scoring with a powerful right-footed shot to give them the lead in the 42nd minute and celebrating with a TikTok dance. His confidence is now at its peak.
As the game got underway in the second half, the 20-year-old Luna was unstoppable, as he was lethal in transition and created a game-high six chances in his 84 minutes of action. Chicho Arango I decided to put on my goal-scoring boots.
As for Arango… the Golden Boot leader has gone four games in a row without a goal, but to be honest I'm not too worried. The goals will come. It's a good sign for the coach. Pablo Mastroeni The rest of the attacking line has filled the gaps, with Arango, Luna and Gomez being one of the best in the league as the season has progressed and will only get better from here.
By the way, can someone please put Diego Luna on the US Olympic roster? It would be a crime against all that is good and God if he wasn't on that plane to Paris.
