Earlier this year, we here at Angels on Parade talked a lot about doing more. Being more consistent with content and trying to find different ways to talk about the teams we all know and love here in Los Angeles soccer. Today, is the beginning of one of those new projects, as we kickoff our new series, What We Learned Wednesdays! If the name wasn’t clear enough, this will be a weekly series that will take a deeper look into the matches played, the matches ahead, the form of the club, our opinions on what is going wrong, what is going right, and what might need to be done to ensure the teams keep on track to bringing silverware to the city of champions. This week, we start with the team that is already a handful of matches into their 2025 campaign, and while results haven’t been terrible, the mix of recent poor form in losses, with unconvincing wins previous, have fans wondering what exactly is going on with LAFC? Well, here’s what we learned from the season so far.
LA vs MIA
📅 Wed, April 2 | 🏟️ @BMOStadium | 🎟️ Available Now
— LAFC (@LAFC) March 14, 2025
Defense Showing Cracks
One of the bigger storylines coming into this season, and became evident early on once play began, is LAFC Head Coach Steve Cherundolo’s focus on defense. The team wanted to put less pressure on the attack having to score three, four, five goals a match, and be a bit more reliant on their defense to keep teams out of the back of the net. After a rough start to the MLS life, Hugo Lloris settled in really well and by the end of last season, was one of the better goalkeepers in the league, so to lean a bit more on him and that veteran defense that has been built, seemed smart. And for the first few matches, it was working really well. Sure, the offense was struggling and the wins felt like pulling teeth a lot of the time (more on that soon), but the team was putting up clean sheets. Four of the team’s first five matches of the season were clean sheet wins, as LAFC won with a combined 6-0 scoreline.
Then Seattle happened. In full fairness, and with all the context, LAFC went into that match with a heavily rotated squad as they kept one eye on their Champions Cup competition, but even still, you don’t get a pass for a match mattering less, especially when you follow it up a loss that looked even worse for your defense. Sounders put five past LAFC at home, tallying 14 shots, the most the team had given up to that point in the season. The match the team had sacrificed that result for, the Champions Cup tie, didn’t get any better for the defense. Despite going into that match with a three goal cushion and knowing all they had to do was defend well, the team gave up two first half goals to Columbus putting everyone on edge the remainder of the match. LAFC went on to narrowly escape to the next round, but the Crew put together 22 shots in their 2-1 win on the day. Which brings us to this past weekend that saw Austin FC come into Los Angeles, hit LAFC in the mouth with a goal on a corner kick in the first 10 minutes, and in some cruel irony, they showed Los Angeles what a defending team looks like as they were able to not just hold on for 80 minutes, they kept the black & gold from any looks with the team finishing with just three shots on target. Clean sheets are hard, so nobody expects to see those every week, but if you’re going to be a team that is going to lean more on defense, it would probably be wise to actually, you know, defend.
Immediate impact 💥
🏃♂️ @cengizunder with the interception and assist in his debut. pic.twitter.com/8rpPuBT3Zu
— LAFC (@LAFC) March 12, 2025
Struggling Attack
The biggest story by far this season for LAFC, and the one thing we have learned early on that we wish we didn’t, is that this team is most definitely not the same potent, attack-minded squad we have seen in years past. Put aside for a second the lack of goals scored as a whole, and just pay attention to shots taken. The team’s biggest win of the season, the 3-0 thrashing of Columbus at home, came with the team taking 16 shots. That is the most they have taken in a match this season, but in terms of historically, it’s nowhere near what we usually see from them. In terms of goals, the team have scored just four goals in four matches in MLS action, though they have racked up seven goals in four matches in Champions Cup play.
Perhaps more concerning, has been the lack of hope being provided by the team’s bigger stars, who were brought in to do the whole scoring of goals, thing. Denis Bouanga has yet to score in MLS play this season, but again to be completely fair, he has scored three goals and tallied an assist in the Champions Cup. That said, being decent in one competition, isn’t a pass to be a complete passenger in other competitions, especially when the entire attack runs through you. Which brings us to the next issue, Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman was brought in to add a different dynamic to the attack, but so far that dynamic has been, stand around looking handsome. Giroud has yet to score in the MLS. No, not just for 2025, but since his arrival, he has yet to put the ball into the back of the net in MLS action. He has just two goals for LAFC throughout all competitions, one in the US Open Cup Final win over Sporting KC last season, and another in League Cup play from when he first arrived at the club. In his defense, the team has seemed incapable of including him in the attack. Whether by design or just how it goes, this team flows directly through Denis Bouanga and his connection with Giroud seems non-existent. It’s hard for the striker you brought in to add a layer of dynamism to affect a match when he isn’t being fed the ball. Luckily, there is a silver lining perhaps in the form of new arrival, Cengiz Ünder, who has already provided an assist and looks a real threat in front of goal, in just two appearances.
What Have We Learned?
Yes, to some this probably read like a tearing down of the club, making things seem dire, but in truth, as bad as its looked and felt at times early on this season, the team have done well enough to not be looking like their cross-town rivals who are still looking for that first MLS win of 2025. Sure, this may not look anywhere near the 2019, or 2022 versions of LAFC, but its still a really talented team that only needs to find some consistency in a couple of areas to be back to that championship club level. What we really learned early on this season is that the team is all-in on Champions Cup. Its clear that competition is the priority and its understandable, but its also important for the club to keep pace in the MLS as to not fall too far in the table. The team will have another chance to get it together this weekend when they visit winless Sporting KC, an opportunity to get the defense back on track, and the offense warmed up and running.
What have you learned from the team so far? Leave a comment below!