LAFC edges FC Dallas, keeps unbeaten streak
LOS ANGELES ❯❯ Deep in the home stretch of last year's championship season, the Los Angeles Football Club visited FC Dallas with a month to go still hoping to lock down the Supporters' Shield and homefield advantage throughout the MLS playoffs.
After defender Ryan Hollingshead picked up an early red card, LAFC battled to a late 1-0 lead until Dallas' stunning two-goal comeback.
In the end, the Black & Gold departed Texas with something more valuable than the three points they coughed up that night.
“That's the beauty of football,” said LAFC center back Jesus Murillo, who joined with the rest of his teammates by being caught off guard when Dallas scored the equalizer from a quick restart following a foul. “It gives you a lesson every game.”
The key takeaway: lacking concentration for even a moment can ruin everything.
“I think it served us good to shift our mentality for the rest of the season,” Murillo said.
That awareness boosted LAFC to the MLS Cup as well as the first four league matches of their 2023 league campaign, adding a 2-1 victory over Dallas at BMO Stadium on Saturday to nail down three wins and a draw in March.
A game-winner by Denis Bouanga, who was with the Gabonese national team in Africa on Friday, prevented what would have been a difficult-to-stomach draw considering LAFC (3-0-1, 10 points) controlled the balance of the game as Dallas played down a man for more than hour.
Following a video review by referee Lukasz Szpala, a hard elbow to the face of Sergi Palencia elevated a yellow card to a straight red against defender Ema Twumasi in the 35th minute.
To that point, LAFC was quick to pressure the visitors in the attacking side of the field. Steve Cherundolo's group pressed hard, creating multiple turnovers, one of which led to midfielder Timothy Tillman's second goal of the season three minutes after the opening whistle.
Dallas (2-2-1, 7 points) appeared to tie the score in the 18th minute when it caught LAFC scrambling on a counter attack. A blocked shot by Dallas star forward Jesus Ferreira rebounded to the top of the circle, where Edwin Cerrillo beat John McCarrthy. A video review by Szpala disallowed the goal when it was ruled forward Jader Obrian screened McCarthy from an offside position.
LAFC had multiple chances, including a penalty attempt by Carlos Vela after the team captain was fouled in the box. But Vela hit his shot off the crossbar, keeping the match level until Bouanga, who entered the contest after the hour mark, scored in the 84th minute.