The last time they met, LAFC defeated the Sounders, 1-0, at Lumen Field on a Bouanga screamer to advance to the Western Conference final. Open Cup – is favorable through mid-May, when games will come Saturday to Saturday. The pared-down schedule – no CONCACAF Champions Cup, Campeones Cup and potentially no U.S. Said Hollingshead: “This year will be a lot more getting back to LAFC style of football, playing the way we want to play, having plenty of recovery in between matches to make sure when we are in the pitch we are playing everything we want to do at 100%, no holding back, which was not what happened last year.” 21, when LAFC’s preseason got underway, the coaching staff focused on reviving the club’s heavy press, which caused massive disruptions for opponents when it was employed effectively and the players had the legs to execute. Meanwhile, familiar faces like Hollingshead, Sanchez, Bouanga, Aaron Long and Jesus Murillo said they have accepted the responsibility to fill the void.īeginning Jan. LAFC brought in World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, whose résumé speaks for itself. With Vela’s unknown status for 2024 hanging over the club, other players have stepped in to fill his leadership void. “Carlos was a big proponent of the winning culture,” fullback Ryan Hollingshead said. The 2024 group received an injection of youthful talent, including Mexican fullback Omar Campos, who is expected to play significant minutes while replacing Ecuador’s Diego Palacios, and coveted Venezuelan winger David Martinez, who was set to arrive Thursday in L.A.įor the newcomers who have not played with Vela, his impact should still be felt around the club whether he returns or not. ![]() LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, who signed a multi-year extension in December, will have to compete with a roster that played half the MLS minutes from last year’s team that set a league record for total games played across a variety of competitions.Įven that deep squad had to alter its tactics to survive the 53-game marathon, at times moving away from the aggressive game model that has been basic to LAFC’s approach since 2018 to a more pragmatic style favoring a low block and counterattacks. “But the foot of Carlos is going to be missed on the field, for sure.” “There is also other players who can make the difference,” the 29-year-old French attacker said. If the parties don’t agree and Vela’s belongings are eventually removed from the LAFC practice facility on the campus of Cal State L.A., it will reverberate in several ways. “He’s been asking about the dynamic of the preseason, so obviously it’s been different because you don’t have him on the field, but we still have his things in the locker room.” ![]() ![]() “We’ve been in touch with him,” Spanish midfielder Ilie Sanchez said prior to his third season wearing black and gold. Months after LAFC’s first face of the franchise walked off a soggy pitch in Columbus, Ohio, with his teammates having fallen short of repeating as MLS Cup champions, the soon-to-be 35-year-old forward’s presence remains prominent inside the locker room despite his absence through the preseason and, now, Match Day 1 at BMO Stadium against the Seattle Sounders.Īs the organization and free-agent star continue to negotiate terms for what the silky left-footed Mexican declared would be his final season no matter where it takes place, LAFC’s longtime captain remains present one way or another. Making it seven in a row would not only break Dallas’ MLS record set from 2012-017, it would require something the club hasn’t dealt with before: not having Carlos Vela on the field. The Los Angeles Football Club has won each of its six Major League Soccer season openers.
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