MLS Focus: El Trafico turns into another LAFC wreck
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jul 27, 2018
LAFC Photo
For the second time this
season, LAFC went into halftime with a 2-0 lead against the LA Galaxy and could not hold on.
In March, the expansion team later led 3-0 and ended up losing, 4-3, in Zlatan
Ibrahimovic's memorable debut (two goals off the bench) for the Galaxy.
On Thursday night, it was not as bad but still it hurt. LAFC led 2-0 until the 82nd minute and then had to
settle for a 2-2 tie that featured a memorable debut by LAFC midfielder Andre Horta (for all the wrong reasons).
The Galaxy scored twice in four minutes, the first from
Romain Alessandrini and second from Ola Kamara -- after a 40-yard backpass from Horta straight to Kamara.
“Let’s not let the whole discussion just turn into a
poor back pass at 2-1,” said LAFC coach Bob Bradley. “[We had] chances to get to three, which on a night like tonight would have been very important.”
In another
crazy El Trafico, it hurt even more for LAFC that keeper Tyler Miller had made a brilliant save on Kamara minutes before the Norwegian scored, and it had two players hit the woodwork
late in the game -- first Adama Diomande in the 76th minute and then Horta, the goat, in stoppage time.
LAFC Photo
“We have ourselves to blame again,”
said Bradley. “If our football continues in the right way, if we still make the right passes, the right choices, we get the third goal.”
Bradley wasn't going to blame Horta,
the 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder playing his first MLS game. LAFC agreed to a deal with Benfica for Horta, but he had to finish out the Portuguese league season on loan at Braga and therefore
couldn't be used until the summer transfer window opened.
“Andre Horta is going to be a very very good player for us,” Bradley said of his young DP. “I feel very bad for
him tonight.”
Indeed, a seemingly lackadaisical defense has become the LAFC's nemesis-yet again. However, it actually all started to crumble when first Kaye was viciuosly taken down and is now undergoing what is reported to be surgery to repair a broken ankle, and then after the coach made some questionable substitutions, with Nguyen and inserting newbie Horta. This obviously disrupted the midfield and knowing Sigi as well as I and many others to, he capitalized and began to take advantage. So, Bradley has faith in Horta, and to put him in during this game at the time he did, IMHO it was his call and now must regroup, and let's hope he does, else I am sure that US Soccer would be willing and wanting him to be the new USMNT HC. Just sayin' .
And what the heck is new SoCalif Prima Donna Ibra saying that "the stadium (LAFC's) is too small" for him, and he'd rather play in front of 80,000? If so, then the Carson Galaxy's stadium is not suited for him since it almost the same size with a few more seats? Is this guy for real?
LAFC has itself to blame again for lack of efficacy and concentration in the last 10-minutes of the game as the article states...no excuses; watched until half-time while the camera-work made me dizzy jumping aroung the field without purpose. TV is actually killing the game when it averages about 350 cameo shots in a 90+ minute game. Game viewing demands a wide angle view in order to visualize the spacing of players and delieries of ther ball. On the contrary the viewer is overwhelmed with ground shots and individual player heads which has no purpose whatsoever. P.S. WC2018 had about 700+ dizzing moments; twice the number of useless "head bouncing".
OMG Ric.
that’s Slatan he love to say things but he is only semi serious, he love to clown around. But he is hard to pin down what’s a joke and what’s real. He loves having fun with reporters. Take things w a great amount of salt.