LAFC ends scoreless drought in a big way against Nashville
Avoiding a collection of undesirable outcomes, the Los Angeles Football Club stormed to its first win in a month, besting Nashville SC 5-0 at BMO Stadium.
Displaying hurried and impatient soccer throughout a trio of shutout setbacks, LAFC once again played like the team responsible for so many positive results throughout much of the franchise's seven-year history.
Five minutes shy of topping a club worst 318-minute scoring drought, midfielder Timothy Tillman put LAFC on the scoreboard for the first time since early in the second half of the season opener.
A turnover while pressing in the Nashville end of the field netted a corner kick, which Tillman finished in the ninth minute when he cleaned up a dangerous header from center back Aaron Long that was blocked at the far post by a defender.
Last year's undeniable Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga then added two goals, his first of 2024. The 29-year-old French forward converted a penalty kick 18 minutes in after Tillman was fouled in the box, then added a wellstruck shot that beat Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis in the 48th minute.
The brace-maker illustrated the threat LAFC poses when it shows patience and poise. Fullback Sergi Palencia, starting in place of Omar Campos who was called into international duty with the Mexican U-23 team, delivered a low cross through the box that midfielder Eduard Atuesta ran over as a decoy, setting up Bouanga's firsttime finish to the far post.
Bouanga also slammed two shots off the frame, giving him seven clanks in five games.
Cristian Olivera connected on his initial goal of the year thanks to David Martinez's first MLS assist, a smooth touch that gave the Uruguayan winger plenty of space in the box to pick and choose his spot in the 75th minute.
Late in stoppage time, Bouanga chipped a cross into the box, where a diving header from Atuesta, his first since returning to Los Angeles, produced a five-spot for LAFC (2-21, 7 points), sidestepping its worst five-game start to MLS regular-season play.
While players and coaches said there was no panic in the group, the one way their sentiment carried any weight was if they performed against the opposition.
Compact and usually difficult to break down, Nashville (1-1-3, 6 points) was well short of stopping LAFC, which stayed unbeaten at home despite an otherwise difficult start.
“Year after year there are times of the season when you have to deal with not finding the way,” midfielder Ilie Sanchez prior to the match. “But we proved that we know how to do it, find a way, but also how to play the game for us to get to the performances we expect in this club. And sometimes, years before, seasons before, this period of time when we couldn't find the answers came later in the season. This time it came right at the beginning and that's why it may feel different from the outside in.”