LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 17, 2019) – The Los Angeles Football club traveled to New York in what was their first away match of 2019. Playing visitor to a struggling New York City FC attack, and on a pitch that is the most awkward in Major League Soccer, LAFC looked to continue their winning run of form.
From kickoff, NYCFC looked to exploit the right side of the LA defense. With starting RB Steven Beitashour out with a concussion, it was Danilo Silva who stepped into his spot, and New York looked to take advantage. Constant pressure along the right paid off for NYCFC as Alexandru Mitrita was able to find space, and using his pace made enough room to put one past Tyler Miller, giving them the lead in the 39th minute. https://twitter.com/NYCFC/status/1107368511020679168
However, the lead was short lived as Latif Blessing’s perfect through ball found Carlos Vela, who cooly finished, leveling it shortly before halftime.
The second half was much of the same with NYCFC maintaining a majority of possession. The 62nd minute saw NYCFC captain, Alexander Ring, put in a rocket top shelf from a wide open position inside the box. Like before, it wasn’t long before LAFC drew level after a Carlos Vela penalty conversion in the 76th minute. https://twitter.com/LAFC/status/1107381979937296384
The match would finish in a 2-2 draw.
Three Things
- Missing Link: The absence of starting RB Steven Beitashour played a big part in today’s lackluster performance. As mentioned NYCFC came in looking to attack that side and they succeeded. Both goals came from attacks along that side. Good news is Beitashour should be back next match, but going forward, it has to be concerning knowing once again, one injury could shift the tide of the season.
- Stifled Attack: In addition to a missing Beitashour, LAFC had to deal with an awkward pitch at Yankee Stadium. Unable to get the depth along the wings that they have grown accustomed to, Rossi faded from existence throughout the course of the match. Adrien Perez made his MLS debut replacing Rossi. Though he did provide a bit more pace, it wasn’t enough for an LAFC attack that just never seemed to get out of first gear.
- No Possession: The worst part of the day was the inability for LAFC to get a hold of the ball. Even in the brief spells that they had the ball, they failed to make progress with it before the eventual dispossession. NYCFC enjoyed a staggering 61% to 39% advantage. In theory, you can’t lose possession if you never have it, but LAFC will need to improve this to get back on track.
Looking Forward
Some days you just don’t have it, and that was the case for the Los Angeles today. LAFC will be back at home in six days when they host Real Salt Lake. Motivation was already high for this match, but after today’s performance, expect LAFC to come out even more ready to prove a point. RSL are coming off a drubbing at the hands of DC United, who put five past the Utah side. The most important thing will be not underestimating this RSL side, because everyone remembers the last time that happened.
