Rough week for LAFC

The good news for LAFC is that for the first time since the last week of March, it won’t have to prepare for a midweek game.

The bad news is that it is limping into that break. Heading out on the road for a pair of midweek matches in the midwest area, LAFC fell behind early in both matches, and while they ultimately put up a fight in both matches, it wasn’t enough, as LAFC first lost 2-1 to St. Louis City FC last Wednesday, then came up short against Nashville SC 3-2 on Sunday.

 

LAFC 1, St. Louis City FC 2

St. Louis wasted no time taking advantage of a weary LAFC. STL struck just four minutes into the match, as Marcel Hartel played Eduard Lowen into the penalty area, Lowen then played a ball into the six-yard box and Tomas Totland slotted the right-footed shot past keeper Hugo Lloris near post to give St. Louis the early lead.

St. Louis took the lead into the half, then doubled the advantage in the 64th minute, as Sergio Cordova crossed into the penalty area, the ball deflected off LAFC defender Ryan Raposo and stayed inside the penalty area and  Rafael Santos came in and buried the shot that made it a two-goal game. David Martinez pulled a goal back for LAFC in the 73rd minute, as he ran down a long ball from Nkosi Tafari, then chipped keeper Roman Burki, who left his line, but St. Louis still managed to hang on for the win.

 

LAFC 2, Nashville SC 3

Things didn’t get any better for LAFC four days later when they headed out to Music City, as they were unable to find an answer for Hany Mukhtar, who had a hat trick.

Mukhtar did the majority of his damage inside an eight-minute stretch in the first half. Mukhtar got his first goal in the 13th minute, as he dribbled through traffic, played a ball to Warren Madrigal, who took a touch before playing a ball back to Mukhtar, who perfectly kept his run to get behind the LAFC defense, then slotted a shot past keeper Thomas Hasal far post to stake Nashville to the lead. Then in the 21st minute, Nashville had a free kick from about 25 yards out, just outside the penalty area on the left side, and Mukhtar sent the free kick past Hasal near post to double the Nashville lead.

The two-goal lead however lasted all off one minute, as Martinez got LAFC on the board when he slotted in a Timothy Tillman cross inside the six to cut into the deficit. Mukhtar however restored the two-goal advantage in the 59th minute, and again, he did it off the set piece, this time from the top of the 18-yard box, and Mukhtar sent the free kick over the LAFC wall and past Hasal at the back post to get his hat trick. Again, LAFC stayed in the match, again pulling a goal back, this one in the 68th minute, as Denis Bouanga one-timed a Son-Heung Min corner kick into the back net, but having to fight back from two separate two-goal deficits was ultimately too much to overcome for LAFC.

LAFC will play its last match before the World Cup break on May 24 when they host the Seattle Sounders.