Martínez keeps LAFC alive in Leagues Cup

LOS ANGELES -- Temporarily staving off elimination in Leagues Cup, LAFC took down Tigres UANL 2-1 on Tuesday evening at BMO Stadium.

A pair of scores from David Martínez did the heavy lifting, helping the Black and Gold earn the three points that they needed to prevent elimination from the tournament temporarily. With the victory bringing them to six points through the conclusion of their three Phase One matches, Los Angeles currently holds the fourth and final MLS slot in the knockout stages.

"I thought we got a lot out of this tournament so far," said head coach Steve Cherundolo. "If this is the end of the road for us, so be it. You won one and tied two, it's strange that you don't advance, but that's the way it is."

Their odds of advancement remain slim, however, with Wednesday and Thursday still set to settle the remaining Phase One matches for other Liga MX and MLS clubs. It would take some very fortunate results in those matches, mainly consisting of Liga MX victories over MLS teams, to keep LAFC in the top four through Thursday.

Los Angeles managed to sneak out the victory despite the absence of Denis Bouanga, who was not available for the match. Steve Cherundolo noted that he did not feel Bouanga was prepared enough to play on Tuesday.

Martínez, who finished Phase One with a team-leading three scores, earned his first of the night in the 38th minute after Timothy Tillman managed to draw a penalty. The 19-year-old drilled it past Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán to get Los Angeles the early advantage that they would walk into halftime with. 

"He's working harder," said Cherundolo as he spoke about his young forward. "He has all the tools he needs to be successful in this league and many other leagues around the world. David needs to understand that this is a game where you have to work first and enjoy the pleasures second."

It did not feel as if LAFC was in control despite their lead through the opening 45 minutes, with Tigres dominating possession and firing numerous shots towards Thomas Hasal. Getting his second consecutive start, the keeper produced another gusty effort to ultimately help LAFC shut the door in the late stages of the contest.

Defender Edgar López quickly had a response for Tigres to open the second half, putting their lone score of the evening past Hasal in the 47th minute to equalize the game at one. López provided immediate impact, having just subbed into the game to begin the second half.

Following a tense next few minutes, Martínez dug deep to find his second goal of the night on an impressive run down the left side of the pitch. He finished with a tough shot that snuck under the dive of Guzmán to break the tie.

The aggressive Tigres attack, which finished with 18 shot attempts overall, did not go down without a fight. A flurry of shots towards Hasal in stoppage time produced a sequence of gasps from the crowd at BMO Stadium, but the 26-year-old stood firm and LAFC ultimately held on.

Every single one of Hasal's five saves felt equally as clutch, showing shades of his heroics in the penalty shootout victory over Pachuca last Friday. He certainly took advantage of the playing time awarded with Hugo Lloris away.

If things go as mathematics suggest and LAFC are eliminated from the tournament within the next couple of days, they will at least take some momentum from a close win back to MLS play.

"A lot of players made some really positive minutes and moments in this tournament," said Cherundolo. "We played  three games against three very good teams from Liga MX."