After roaring out to a hefty lead atop the standings and looking nigh untouchable for most of 2022, LAFC are suddenly reeling, just as the most consequential phase of the MLS campaign unfolds.
With Wednesday’s stunning 2-1 road loss to Houston Dynamo FC, the Black & Gold are losers of three straight, two of those setbacks inflicted by Western Conference bottom dwellers (including the San Jose Earthquakes), allowing the Philadelphia Union to draw level on points in the race for the Supporters’ Shield – albeit with LAFC holding a game in hand.
“A combination of not finishing your chances, one, I would say a poor defensive error on our part on Houston’s second goal, and to be very blunt, poor officiating,” said coach Steve Cherundolo, making his displeasure with referee Matthew Conger clear after the head-turning result at PNC Stadium. “All those things put together, in a day like tonight, account for a loss.”
LAFC racked up an expected-goals number of 2.7 in the Bayou City, nearly twice that of their hosts. But a harsh handball decision on Ilie Sanchez led to a first-half penalty for the Dynamo and Griffin Dorsey’s late golazo left Cherundolo and his group facing questions about the legitimacy of their MLS Cup hopes, a matter of weeks after adding forwards Denis Bouanga (a debutant vs. Houston) and Cristian Tello – alongside marquee summertime signings Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale – to their already-stacked roster.
“We lost the game and we lost it because we were not good enough in our box defending and in their box, finishing our chances,” said Sanchez postgame. “Other than that, Houston presented a tough game at their place. Congrats to them for the three points and we just have to stay together, train harder, improve, become stronger. Because we have six games left and we are still top of the table and in the position of winning the Supporters’ Shield.”
Cherundolo, too, called for balance and perspective, though the matter of managing the squad’s significant midseason roster churn is looking trickier than it was a couple of months ago. Notable outgoings include defender Mamadou Fall (loan to LaLiga’s Villareal) and forward Brian Rodriguez (transfer to Liga MX’s Club America), alongside intra-MLS trades of forwards Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (to New England Revolution) and Danny Musovski (to Real Salt Lake).
“We didn’t give up too much defensively, and we created a lot of chances. That’s how you win games. Games like this don’t happen very often,” said the first-year head coach. “The crossbar, ‘keeper makes saves, calls don’t go your way. You don’t finish your chances. A lot of things go against you in games like this for you to lose, and that happened today.
“But I’ve been in the sport long enough to understand and to know if you continue to perform like that, these games will start going your way.”
Philly possess a superior goal difference and Austin FC, too, are just a few points back after humbling LAFC last week. The Californians still have pole position in the table, though, if they can regain their composure and stop their current skid.
They return to action with a home date vs. Real Salt Lake on Sunday evening (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
“We simply have to go out and continue on this path,” said Sanchez, “try to be better with the ball, especially in the midfield, and in the end take the responsibility that we have to defend better so that in the end our attacking players have options and can finish.”
