It's probably too early to call it a true 'CCL hangover,' but are LAFC showing the early stages of one?
After losing both legs of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League final to Liga MX's Club León, the Black & Gold were thrashed 4-0 Saturday evening at Houston Dynamo FC. That lopsided result followed a 0-0 draw midweek vs. Atlanta United where goalkeeper Brad Guzan was phenomenal for the visiting Five Stripes.
"Simple," said midfielder Ilie Sánchez. "Very bad performance from all of us that stepped on the field tonight. ... When we don't follow our principles and we all have different ideas of what to do on the field, that's how it looks."
In some terse post-match comments, head coach Steve Cherundolo was even more blunt.
"Didn't show up to play tonight and just got beat," he told reporters in a press conference that lasted just under two minutes.
In all competitions, LAFC have lost four of their last five matches, capping it off with a lackluster display in Houston. But the usually high-flying juggernauts are still in third place in the Western Conference, and in the top 10 in MLS on points per game. Are things really that bad?
"If you compare our journey just now to the journey of the teams that reached the Champions League final, and especially Seattle last year, yeah, we have to be very happy about these first three months," said defender Giorgio Chiellini. Despite the scoreline, the 38-year-old Italian legend was calm and composed following the match. "This is maybe the first game that we miss it and we failed. I think it's an important lesson."
It's an important point from Chiellini. LAFC are in somewhat rarified air for MLS sides who have reached a CCL final. Toronto FC (2018) and Seattle Sounders (2022), as two recent examples, struggled mightily in the league both during and after their continental campaign, and both missed the playoffs.
As Chiellini implied, it would take an unprecedented fall from grace for the defending MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield winners to follow that trend, but the schedule may not work in their favor. They'll play nine games in 35 days before MLS breaks for the inaugural Leagues Cup and the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target is held.
"I think that we played really a lot in the last 3-4 months, and then in the middle of July we have a lot of games," Chiellini noted. "It's a long season. Our goal is to arrive in as better a position as possible in the middle of July when there is the break for the Leagues Cup. But at the end, we had to really focus and the most important part of the season will start in the middle of August, beginning of September, with the last three months, trying to take better seats for the playoffs."
It also wasn't lost on Chiellini how he and LAFC have struggled in Texas. In his four trips to the Lone Star State, they've lost four times, conceding 12 goals in the process.
"Texas doesn't give luck to me," he chuckled. "I came here four times. I lost four games. Every time. Hopefully the next time in Texas against Dallas, we will have minimal trouble. This is my goal."
LAFC will have the chance to avenge Saturday night's loss almost instantly. They'll face off against the Dynamo in just four days, hosting the reverse fixture Wednesday night at BMO Stadium (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
"We need to learn from that," said Ilie. "This cannot happen again."
