LAFC dominates CCC First leg against Columbus

After three games of defending, scoring a timely goal and grinding out games, LAFC got back to doing what it does best on Tuesday night; scoring goals in bunches.

Don’t worry, LAFC still kept up its defensive prowess on Tuesday night, but in this match,  LAFC upped the ante on the attacking side as well. Opening the Round of 16 of the CONCACF Champions Cup against the Columbus Crew, LAFC made good use of its home field, as a brace by Denis Bouanga carried LAFC to the 3-0 win in the first leg at BMO Stadium.

The guys were very disciplined, tactically quite disciplined over 90 minutes with maybe one or two exceptions,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “That’s a potent combination. If you have hardworking players, players that understand the do’s and do not’s of defending and our principles here at LAFC. If you put that together, then you are going to be a team that’s hard to beat.”

LAFC’s first goal, which came in the 20th minute, was a result of pressure defense. Bouanga took the ball away from Crew defender Steven Moreira deep inside Columbus’ side of the field, Bouanga touched into the penalty area, which drew out keeper Patrick Schulte, Bouanga rounded Schulte and sent the left-footed shot into the empty net to open the scoring for LAFC.

LAFC thought they had a second goal five minutes later, but Jeremy Ebobisse was offiside when he tapped in a rebound shot off a David Martinez chance. Nevertheless, LAFC took the lead into halftime, then took control of the match in the second half. Bouanga got his brace just 42 seconds into the half. as he received a ball from Ebobisse, dribbled down the left side into the penalty area, then unleashed a shot from his right foot, and it turned out to be the perfect shot, as the ball sailed over the outstretched right hand of Schulte, beating the Crew keeper far post at the upper corner to double the LAFC lead. Bouanga also had a hand in LAFC’s third goal in the 81st minute, as he sent a corner kick into the penalty area, Crew defender Malte Amundsen headed the ball away from goal, but not out of the penalty area, the ball went to Nathan Ordaz, who then one-timed a right-footed shot past Schulte far post to put a bow on the match.

“It just shows that they’re beatable,” Ordaz said of facing the Crew this time around, a franchise LAFC had gotten to know very well over the years. “We couldn’t beat them last year, but they’re beatable this year and we’re a different team than we were last year. We’re better in different areas and I think we’re confident going into every game.”

Now its back to league play for LAFC, and it will be a big match, as they face the Seattle Sounders for the first time since last year’s MLS playoffs.