By Justin Ruderman
After news broke yesterday of LAFC acquiring Welsh superstar Gareth Bale, the team hosted New York Red Bulls at the Banc of California Stadium in a major east vs. west clash. Coming into the match LAFC sat atop the MLS Supporters’ Shield race on 30 points after drawing 1-1 in Seattle a week ago. On the other side, RBNY came in flying high from two wins in a week since the international break including a 3-0 thrashing of their rivals NYCFC in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal. On the pitch, LAFC is healthy for the first time in a while and had the luxury of having Chicho Arango, Kellyn Acosta, Ryan Hollingshead, and Mamadou Fall all on the bench while opting for a starting XI full of pace. All-Star candidates Aaron Long and Luquinhas were a late scratch for RBNY as they entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
Game Summary
The match began without VAR due to technical difficulties but that didn’t slow the teams down as they both started quickly, going end-to-end without creating very many chances. Red Bulls had the best of the early exchanges but as the half progressed LAFC took comfortable control of the game with heavy possession as RBNY tried to hit on the counter-attack. This was the game most tacticians expected. Red Bulls are a very stout defensive team with the exceptional organization. They have been extremely successful on the road this season with this counter-attacking style of play, reaching a record 5 away wins to start the season. They had however lost their previous two away games against Miami and Charlotte 2-0 due to an inability to find the final pass. This was the case again in the first half as Red Bulls took 7 shots with 3 on target, but couldn’t take advantage. LAFC had a similar issue although they weren’t able to muster as many opportunities despite dominating with 60% possession. While both teams employed training ground routines from corners in an attempt to break the deadlock, the main LAFC tactic in the first half was sending long passes over the top into the corners for Rodríguez and Opoku to chase. That’s a great tactic for Gareth Bale, but he is not in Los Angeles quite yet. Carlos Coronel did come up with one big save putting up a strong left hand to prevent a goal from Franco Escobar in the 22nd minute, but neither team recorded a big chance created in the first half of play.
By the start of the second half, VAR had resolved its technical difficulties and was back in operation before causing any unnecessary controversy, but that wasn’t the only thing that changed. LAFC conceded possession, forcing Red Bulls to possess, and allowing themselves to hit on the counter. It worked to perfection. Mahala got into dangerous positions twice early on, getting on the end of one chance and creating another himself before he was subbed off for Chicho Arango. Three minutes later Chicho buried a 1v1 past Coronel after Carlos Vela put him in on goal with a cheeky through ball between the two Red Bulls’ center-backs. After finally getting the breakthrough most would expect LAFC would sit back and continue to allow RBNY to have possession while holding on to the lead. Instead, LAFC scored again on the counter-attack just three minutes after the first goal when Brian Rodríguez got in behind Cristian Cásseres Jr. down the right flank before finding the assist to Diego Palacios who faked a shot before lasering it past Coronel into the bottom right corner for his first-ever LAFC goal. With a 2-0 lead, LAFC finally did as expected and sat back defending for the final 20 minutes of the match. The biggest chance they conceded in doing so was a shot from Zachary Ryan that rocketed off the post as Maxime Crépeau was rooted to his spot. LAFC then held on for the rest of the match to hand New York Red Bulls their third consecutive 2-0 defeat away from home, finding their first signature win against a top team this season in MLS.
Looking Good
I am officially ready to say that LAFC Head Coach Steve Cherundolo is a fantastic tactician. While he denied conceding possession was an intentional tactic implemented in the second half, it is no doubt a result of the tactical changes he makes throughout a match. This isn’t the first time this season that LAFC switched tactical focus in the second half to a more defensive style and most of the time it has worked out splendidly, as it did once again today. Cherundolo explained this tactical flexibility by saying, “It is more or less a sign of how we’ve been able to build a group that is well balanced in all phases of the game. We can defend deep, we can defend high, we can possess, we can create chances, but we can also beat you on the counter, and that will always be our end goal, to be well balanced in all four phases of the game.” This is not just talking. It is why LAFC sits at the top of MLS and it is why I feel confident saying Steve Cherundolo is a high-quality tactician. LAFC fans often complained about the rigidity of Bob Bradley’s system and the ability of other teams to “figure LAFC out”. The tactical flexibility of LAFC under Steve Cherundolo prevents any worry of being figured out or becoming stale as the team can continually adapt to whichever style of play is necessary to take three points.
Carlos Vela’s contract extension looks very good on him. Vela’s unselfish passing and defensive work rate was standout against RBNY. He provided the opening assist for Chicho, recording four key passes and four chances created while only taking one shot himself. As if that wasn’t evidenced enough of his locked-in, team-first mentality, he made three defensive headers to clear the ball and relieve pressure in the first half which I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him do in an LAFC jersey before. Putting a fully focused Carlos Vela without any off-the-field distractions opposite newly-acquired Gareth Bale is one of the most frightening prospects Major League Soccer has ever seen.
The eyes of the entire world are on LAFC. Since the inception of the club, LAFC has often been conflated with LA Galaxy around the world. However, the signings of Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale have completely changed the landscape of the worldwide attention put on black and gold. The media room has never been as full as it was against RBNY with reporters from around the globe hoping to ask John Thorrington or Steve Cherundolo about their newest players. The most valuable football player in the world, Kylian Mbappe, was at the Banc of California Stadium taking in the match while on vacation. These are monumental shifts in the global branding of LAFC. Additionally, it is something that can only be beneficial when searching for a star to fill the third designated player spot. As John Thorrington pointed out, “Thematically it speaks to the interest of these players…they have noticed what this club has done in our short history.” If Chiellini and Bale were so impressed with the club that they were convinced to join on TAM contacts, who can the LAFC front office convince to join with the financial incentive of a designated player distinction?
Areas for Improvement
While the signings of Chiellini and Bale are unbelievable, LAFC absolutely still needs to fill the third designated player slot. It is MLS Cup or busts this season for the black and gold as they continue to put all of their eggs in the basket. The last egg to place in that basket is a final DP signing to use all of the resources at their disposal to put the best possible team on the field when it matters most. On the topic, John Thorrington said, “Our plan is we’re charting course towards another DP signing” which indicates that he is actively in the process of bringing in that final piece of the puzzle. If I were Thorrington, that player would be a creative, attacking midfielder who is always looking for the final pass. If LAFC can bring in somebody to feed their already stacked front three chances, they could very well become an unstoppable force in this league. The sky’s the limit, but the LAFC front office still has work to do.
It’s fantastic that LAFC has finally found their signature win this season, but consistently dominant performances, as we saw today, must become the norm for this team. With international superstars arriving, the expectations must rise. No longer is it impressive for LAFC to beat the weaker teams in the league while producing hot and cold performances against top sides. With by far the best roster in MLS on paper, LAFC must be focused on becoming a powerhouse without any faltering. With the talent and depth of this squad and still room for more, nearly every team in the league should have their match with LAFC marked down as zero expected points. Anything less is not living up to the expectations. It may be harsh, but when a club signs multiple game-changing superstars, the bar has to rise. Since LAFC sits atop MLS, there is only one place for that bar to go; to the ceiling. LAFC hasn’t shown this ability yet with this being only their third win against a team currently in the playoff picture. That needs to change in July.
Player Ratings
Crépeau: 8
Palacios: 9 (MOTM)
Murillo: 8.5
Ibeagha: 7
Escobar: 6.5
Sánchez: 7.5
Blessing: 6
Cifuentes: 7.5
Rodríguez: 7.5
Vela: 8
Opoku: 7
Arango: 8
Acosta: 6.5
Hollingshead: 6
Musovski: 5.5
Ginella: 7