LAFC and Real Salt Lake battled to a 1-1 tie at BMO Stadium on Wednesday, leaving both teams trailing first-place LA Galaxy in the MLS Western Conference by a two-point margin.
First-half goals from LAFC's Cristian Olivera in the fifth minute and RSL’s Brayan Vera in the 33rd minute were the only scoring action of an otherwise tense night of soccer in which the three-way tie between LA Galaxy, RSL (12-4-8) and LAFC (13-5-5) was broken. LA Galaxy took possession of first place with their win over Colorado Rapids.
Olivera, returning to MLS action after more than a month with Uruguay during their Copa America campaign, caught a long pass from Eduard Atuesta and beat Salt Lake’s goalkeeper Zac MacMath who had come out of the box to stop Olivera’s momentum. It was his fifth MLS goal and seventh across all competitions.
Back in the lineup. Back on the scoresheet. 💥
— LAFC (@LAFC) July 18, 2024
🇺🇾 Cristian Olivera scores 5 minutes into his return from Copa America!#LAFCvRSL 1-0 pic.twitter.com/c6cHT7KdRC
RSL tied the game off a free kick from Brayan Vera when midfielder Ilie Sánchez lightly deflected his shot, blocking goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from any chance of a save.
After a disappointing 5-1 loss to Columbus Crew, LAFC were expected to respond with a resounding victory against Real Salt Lake, however, multiple factors played a role in preventing that:
* The midweek clash was LAFC’s third match in a span of a week.
* The packed schedule seemed to take a toll on the roster, which has been noted as lacking the bench depth needed to compete in multiple tournaments during the summer packed with Leagues Cup, Open Cup and MLS Cup matches.
* And the roster seemed fatigue as some key starters missing. Both Sergi Palencia and Jesús Murillo were serving red card suspensions and Timothy Tillman was subbed off early in the first half after suffering an injury in the 16th minute.
The lack of reinforcements made it difficult for coach Steve Cherundolo and his team to adjust.
The usually rapid-fire combination of Denís Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz that fueled the majority of LAFC’s attack during their 13-match unbeaten streak was reduced to seven passes between them with limited the midfield movement. Real Salt Lake dominated possession and shots on goal – 19, compared to LAFC’s 9.
The summer transfer window begins Thursday, when French striker Olivier Giroud is expected to boost their attack.
LAFC returns to action Saturday at the Seattle Sounders, their last match before the Leagues Cup tournament on July 26 against Club Tijuana at BMO Stadium..