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News, Blog and GuidesThe MLS Cup holders closed the gap on conference leaders St. Louis City SC with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday night.
William GittinsWillGittUpdate: Jul 13th, 2023 11:52 EDT
Jayne Kamin-OnceaUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
LAFC signalled their intention to go for another MLS Cup this season with a 3-0 victory over St. Louis City SC at the BMO Stadium.
Visitors St. Louis have been MLS’ surprise package this season and currently sit atop the Western Conference at the halfway point of their maiden campaign in the league. However they they were undone by an experienced LAFC side who scored three times in the last 20 minutes to close the gap at the top to just two points.
Going into the game, LAFC had conceded first in seven of their last eight MLS fixtures. During that time they won just two games, losing momentum after a promising start to the season.
After Wednesday’s game, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo praised his team for showing patience against St. Louis.
“I think anytime you can go ahead of a team it can change the dynamic of the game,” he said. “Every game has its own story and it’s own momentum and if you can get the lead it changes the trajectory and the objective of each team.”
“What we as a coaching staff at LAFC try to do is give our players a big tool box and train them to understand what phase of the game they are in and what they need to do at that moment.”
Goodnight, Los Angeles. 🫂 pic.twitter.com/ghBpVE3zZl
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 13, 2023
Cherundolo continued: “I think the guys did a great job after the first goal of keeping their foot on the gas.”
The LAFC boss was not the only one satisfied with the team’s performance on Wednesday. USMNT international Kellyn Acosta played 90 minutes against St Louis and believes that the team is starting to build confidence after a tricky spell.
“That felt like us,” Acosta said, post-match. “I think one of the key factors was the persistence; having the belief that we were creating opportunities and knowing that those chances would come.”
Acosta continued: “For us it was a collective effort and there are definitely a number of big positives to take from the game.”
