LAFC come back home, against a familiar face, with a chance to secure the playoffs. Hosting Real Salt Lake, who feature former LAFC striker, Chicho Arango, Los Angeles were looking to officially punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win, and start focusing on the all-important positioning to get homefield for as long as they can.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇨🇦
🇺🇾🇪🇨🇲🇽🇬🇦🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/tYQgVyLf9X— LAFC (@LAFC) October 2, 2023
We will give you one guess on how the first half went for the home side. Despite another relatively dominant first half, the team couldn’t find the back of the net to take the lead before the halftime break hit. LAFC finished with seven shots, maintaining 66% possession, and nearly doubled RSL’s passing, with 320 successful passes, to the visitor’s 160. Despite all of that, and with RSL just getting off two shots, both teams went into the break without a goal to their name. With so much on the line for both sides, the second half was sure to feature more chances as the teams looked for the three points. The most noteworthy event in the half came early on when LAFC midfielder Kellyn Acosta came off with an apparent injury.
The second half started off as the first, with LAFC looking the better side, but unable to show it by putting the ball into the back of the net. Even worse, in the 72′, it was a familiar face to plunge a dagger into the hearts of the home fans in attendance. Some great passing led to a perfect ball into the box towards the far post, where a waiting Arango got up, and got his head on the ball, sending it past Crepeau for the lead against his old side.
Chicho Arango finds the opening goal for @realsaltlake! pic.twitter.com/YzZP0MunWK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 2, 2023
Arango showed respect to his former club and their fans but declining to celebrate his lead-taking score. The swing put LAFC in fourth in West, and on the ledge with a possibility to slip further if the ship isn’t set back on course. As it was there was still plenty of time to find at the very least a point in this one, but there was work to do.
The work wasn’t done, and it was RSL to come away with the huge win on the road. Not only did Arango get the goal against the team that let him go, but it was a goal that swapped positions for the two sides, as LAFC fell to fourth place and teetering. With just a few matches left, wins are a must if the black & gold want to keep any hopes of homefield alive, and if they want to avoid any disasters going forward.
Thoughts on tonight’s result? Leave a comment below!