The party vibes were high last night for LAFC, as they opened up their 2024 Leagues Cup campaign in style. The later-than-normal 8:00pm start time, under the lights on a hot summer’s Friday night, and a chance to flex on a team from the rival league. All of that set the stage and helped provide the energy that carried the stadium throughout the night as their team didn’t just win, but in true Los Angeles form, put on a show.
Que perrón es ganar#LAFCvTIJ | #LeaguesCup2024 pic.twitter.com/YZ7MJyI6s2
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 27, 2024
Last night’s 3-0 win for LAFC was about as dominant a win as we have seen from this group this year. It’s hard to fathom this was the same team struggling to find the back of the net for so much of the start of the season, as now they seem to struggle with not scoring. Which, to be fair, is a much more fun problem to have. Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera were the stars of the match, contributing to all of the offense between the two of them. Denis got both assists on the brace that Olivera had, while the latter got the assist on the Bouanga goal. It was a night of brilliance between the two, and really showed just how deep the attack is for Los Angeles.
“He left in good form, and he’s come back in good form. So maybe its just his normal form” said LAFC Head Coach Steve Cherundolo with a smile on his face when speaking on Olivera after the match. The Uruguayan was away representing his country at Copa America, and despite not seeing much time on the pitch, has come back hitting the ground running, not having lost a step.
Bouanga ➡️ Olivera ➡️ GOAL
🇺🇾 Cristian Olivera is there for the finish following a strong run by @BouangaDenis #LAFCvTIJ 1-0 pic.twitter.com/jo5zhbqBQC
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 27, 2024
While the attack is, understandably, the brightest part of LAFC and their recent form as of late, we can’t forget to give the defense their flowers. Last night marked the tenth shutout for LAFC in all competitions, because as fun as it is to score, it’s even better when you can keep the opponent from celebrating goals as well. “I think defensively, Jesus Murillo made some big plays for us, and stepped up” said Cherundolo when speaking about his team’s defensive efforts on the night. “Aaron [Long] did as well, and Hugo [Lloris], Hugo has a sense calmness about him when attackers are shooting or attacking our goal, where he makes it look really easy. He doesn’t react, he anticipates, and that’s something that isn’t often seen and in my opinion isn’t often complimented enough, but we definitely profit from that. It gives the group a sense of calmness of ‘okay, it wasn’t that big of a chance.'”
These two today 🔥
Olivera and Bouanga combine again to make it 3⃣#LAFCvTIJ 3-0 pic.twitter.com/SjvudrQTey
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 27, 2024
Now, LAFC shift focus to an MLS foe for their next Leagues Cup outing as they are once again hosts, this time to Vancouver Whitecaps. The last time these two met, was back in May and also in Los Angeles where the black & gold secured three points with a 3-0 shutout. If this is the LAFC we see the rest of the tournament, we could very well be looking at one half of the eventual Leagues Cup Final.
Thoughts on the win? Leave a comment below!