LAFC has its mojo back, advancing to the Leagues Cup quarterfinal

LOS ANGELES — Tuesday night began as the return of Chicho Arango to BMO Stadium, but turned out to be the return of something else — the old LAFC. 

After drubbing FC Juárez 7-1 in the Leagues Cup Round of 32, the Black and Gold followed it up with a 4-0 demolition of Real Salt Lake in the Round of 16. Now 7-0 on aggregate against RSL this season, LAFC scored 11 goals over a two-match span for the second time in club history. Completely dominant over the past 180 minutes of soccer, the aura around LAFC has returned as the team has gotten its mojo back.

With the win, LAFC move on to the Leagues Cup quarterfinal where they will host Liga MX side CF Monterrey at the Rose Bowl. The game is scheduled for Friday, giving the teams an extremely short three-day turnaround. Monterrey carries an extra disadvantage as they must travel from Houston to the Southland in the next couple of days, while LAFC players get to sleep in their own beds at home. 

Still, last season’s Liga MX Clausura table-toppers are expected to provide LAFC with their biggest Leagues Cup challenge yet, emphasized by LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo describing Monterrey as a team with “no weaknesses" postgame.

Bouanga chasing another golden boot

“Is that more than Messi?” Cherundolo asked the media room postgame regarding Dénis Bouanga’s five Leagues Cup goals. 

"Not yet," was the response he received as Messi has netted seven. “Less games though,” Cherundolo went on. “So if you go by games, it is.” 

Those five goals and two assists in the last two games bring Bouanga’s total to a whopping 32 goal contributions in 31 games across all competitions this season. In the Concacaf Champions League, Bouanga also began the campaign with a hat-trick before going on to secure the CCL golden boot during LAFC’s trip to the final. Following the final, Bouanga fell into a slump he appears to have snapped out of in time for Leagues Cup.

“Dénis went on a dry spell for a little bit, like everybody else, before the break. It’s nice to see that he’s back, refreshed, scoring goals, and being effective for LAFC," Cherundolo said. 

He then pointed out, "More important to me … he’s got a smile on his face and he’s enjoying the game again. That’s really important for a player like Dénis.”

For a player like Bouanga, the quick turnaround shouldn’t be a problem either. Bouanga wants to play every three or four days to keep his rhythm, as opposed to a player like Carlos Vela who may require more rest. In that sense, a three-day turnaround may benefit Bouanga as he competes with Lionel Messi and Bongokuhle Hlongwane for the Leagues Cup Golden Boot.

A Leagues Cup breakout star

One of the most exciting aspects of any tournament is the possibility of breakout stars. Almost inevitably, there are players who are not at the forefront of advertisements but end up being at the forefront on the field, deciding games for their team. In Miami, we’ve seen Robert Taylor and Benjamin Cremaschi make names for themselves, while in Minnesota, Hlongwane has been the guy. In Los Angeles, his name is Nathan Ordaz.

As an academy product, LAFC fans have had their eyes on Ordaz for years. This season he has been given his first opportunity with limited minutes across fifteen matches in all competitions. After recording his first senior assist against St. Louis City SC just before the break, Ordaz was looking for his first goal, which he believes could’ve come earlier. Eventually, it did come in the last match against FC Juárez — LAFC’s inaugural Leagues Cup match. On Tuesday, Ordaz got the start up top, rewarding his selection with a second goal in as many games to announce himself as a threat in the Leagues Cup.

“I didn’t think I was going to score today,” Ordaz admitted postgame. “I was hoping to score today but I’m glad I did.”

Is LAFC a second-half team again?

Since joining MLS in 2018, LAFC has scored the most second-half goals of any team in the league (193), 18 goals ahead of second-place Atlanta United — who are only one goal ahead of both the Portland Timbers and Philadelphia Union. To illustrate this point further, in that same span, LAFC has the most second-half shots on target in the league (593), up on NYCFC by over 70 shots.

This second-half dominance is what LAFC became known for last season in their historic run to the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield double. The trend spilled into the new season, before coming to a halt. Unsurprisingly, the wins also began to dry up. However, in the Leagues Cup, the second-half LAFC we all know and love seems to have returned.

“I think that has more to do with the opponent than it does us,” Cherundolo began the discussion of his team’s second-half success. “These last two opponents were battling fatigue. Both played in previous rounds and traveled.”

Upon being asked again, though, he had an adjusted answer.

“I think that also has to do with us — the way we treat games and the way we will set teams up to open up a little bit and expose them on the counter,” Cherundolo explained. “It’s quite difficult to play against us when we go up. That is something we talk about, we train, we know our habits and our principles.”

This, to me, is the key. It is incredible to score nine second-half goals within a two-match span for the first time in club history but it is even more impressive when it is expanding on first-half success. When scoring first this season, LAFC remained unbeaten, improving to a 15-0-3 record. To be a second-half team scoring first means exactly what Cherundolo described — it is very difficult to come back against LAFC.