LOS ANGELES — LAFC displayed an anemic performance in their loss against the Portland Timbers, 1-0.
A week ago today, LAFC was 3-0 in the month of July as the team was one of the hottest teams in the league. Fast-forward to the games against the Galaxy and Timbers, LAFC has been anything but an electric squad.
As embarrassing as the blown lead to the Galaxy was, at least LAFC has positives to take away from that game. Denis Bouanga scored two goals and LAFC walked away with a point from the 3-3 draw. That is nowhere near as underwhelming as the performance against Portland.
This game against Portland was just a poor offensive performance that resulted in a deflating loss. Part of the reason for the struggles was due to the lack of production from Denis Bouanaga.
Offensively, LAFC relies on Bouanga to generate scoring opportunities from transition attacks. Yet, this was a game where Bouanga only had two shot attempts, which was his lowest amount since their 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Since Bouanga was not a factor in this game, there were no other options for LAFC to affect the Portland defense. The Timbers slowed down the pace and made this a slugfest that Los Angeles couldn’t handle.
“We were lacking power, we were lacking ideas, we were lacking freshness to break down Portland,” said Coach Cherundolo. “Invest a little more energy, invest a little more tempo and push teams to the break point and, physically, we just didn’t have it tonight.”
With the offense falling apart against Portland, the injuries have also done no favor for LAFC. Including Aaron Long’s season-ending injury, LAFC missed five players tonight.
The missing pieces for LAFC have caught up with them to where the team has lost energy after such a good stretch of games. Although LAFC has looked vulnerable lately, there is a way for LAFC to regain the spark in the Leagues Cup.
This break from the MLS regular season could be a perfect opportunity for LAFC to find their footing. A depleted group can find the energy and playstyle needed in this annual tournament.
If LAFC looks to finish the season strong, they must make a positive showing in the Leagues Cup. This tournament is a golden opportunity for LAFC to turn their uninspiring play into a new hot streak to build off.
