Continental play returns to Los Angeles on Wednesday night for the first time in three years when LAFC look to kill off their Concacaf Champions League first-round series against Costa Rica’s LD Alajuelense.
The Black & Gold enter the home leg with a 3-0 lead following their trip to Alajuela last week. That’s a considerably better position than the previous second leg they played at BMO Stadium, when they overcame a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to win the second 3-0 in one of the final matches played before the pandemic forced an extended break in all competitions.
It’s been 1,112 days since that match. And while things might feel more comfortable this time around, the script is rarely followed in the CCL.
No looking ahead
And if there’s one single consistent characteristic of Costa Rican sides in club or international play over the years, it’s their refusal to make anything easy on their opponents.
Any suggestion that Alajuelense — a proud club that has twice won Concacaf’s top club honor — will roll over for LAFC in the second leg should not be taken seriously.
“I expect a dangerous team, a team that has nothing to lose and is gonna come with all cylinders firing,” said Acosta on Tuesday. “They have gotta score some goals, so I know they are gonna come with everything.”
That explains in part why manager Steve Cherundolo chose to rest Carlos Vela, Jose Cifuentes and Ryan Hollingshead in the early stages of Sunday night’s 4-0 league win over the New England Revolution.
And LAFC could have one key defensive piece missing as they try to fend off Alajuelense’s best offensive punch.
“Certainly, the object is to advance in the competition; that's our goal. Our secondary goal would be to win a game in our stadium, which we always try to do, so we are treating this in a very serious manner. We are giving the game the respect it deserves,” Cherundolo said.
Decisions, decisions
But LAFC might not have Hollingshead again after he came off the bench Sunday and sustained a chest injury. Cherundolo said the fullback is day-to-day.
And there may be consideration given to bringing first-leg hat trick hero Denis Bouanga off the bench Wednesday after he scored twice more against the Revs and played 90 minutes in both matches.
After all, LAFC will face a fourth match in 10 days next weekend when they face a Seattle Sounders side that, like LAFC, is also near the top of the Western Conference standings.
As for options to replace Hollingshead if he can’t go, they include Sunday’s starter Denial Maldonado, Sergi Palencia, or even Kellyn Acosta in an emergency situation. The latter would be unlikely since it would solve one lineup question but create another, but Acosta did play Hollingshead’s position at times during his tenure with the Rapids.