LAFC shut out by Whitecaps in 1st match since Club World Cup

LOS ANGELES — Hoping a return to league play after two weeks at the Club World Cup would push the Los Angeles Football Club in a positive direction to start the second half of the season wasn’t enough on Sunday.

The Vancouver Whitecaps held down LAFC (7-5-5, 26 points), making a 1-0 lead last through the final whistle as it sought to remain near the top of the race for the Western Conference.

Exiting the Club World Cup after three group stage matches, LAFC returned to BMO Stadium with games in hand and was poised to make a run toward the top of the conference standings.

But after conceding five goals and the top spot in the west to San Diego FC on Wednesday, Vancouver (11-3-5, 38 points) reaffirmed its status as the least-scored-upon unit in MLS (19 goals allowed) by preserving the clean sheet.

It was the third time this year in league competition that LAFC failed to connect on a goal.

Instead, for the seventh time in its last eight games, LAFC conceded the opening goal when, in the 20th minute, Vancouver forward Emmanuel Sabbi cashed in a play he initiated at midfield.

Maintaining his balance with the ball before connecting on a give-and-go through midfielder Jeevan Baldwal. Sabbi moved deep into the box, deftly controlled Baldwal’s driving cross, and in one fell swoop struck his shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper David Ochoa, who received his first bit of playing time in place of Hugo Lloris since joining LAFC last season.

Midway through the MLS regular season schedule, the Black & Gold is now 1-5-4 when it falls behind first.

Vancouver, which drew LAFC 2-2 in British Columbia, Canada, in May, entered the contest missing seven players, including 2025 MLS All-Stars Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter, who joined the U.S. men’s national team during the Gold Cup.

Appearing in his final game with LAFC after the player and team announced on Friday that they had mutually agreed to part ways, Olivier Giroud joined Denis Bouanga and Javairô Dilrosun in the attack for his first MLS start since April 27.

Giroud tried to make a difference in the game, drilling a left-footed shot over the bar in the 17th and taking a turnaround shot inside the box before the half, but mostly the 38-year-old French striker’s effort looked like many of his other matches with LAFC. A step slow. A hair off. Just not sharp enough.

Despite delivering well below the difference-making expectations he arrived with last summer, the announced crowd of 22,126 wished him a fond farewell when he was removed in the 60th minute for LAFC homegrown Nathan Ordaz.

The young forward was among four changes LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo made in the second half as the team searched for an equalizer. But neither Ordaz, Mark Delgado, Ryan Hollingshead or Jeremy Ebobisse were able to change the trajectory of the match.

LAFC had gone nine unbeaten in MLS matches going back to April 12, including a 4-0-1 run at home.