Through 47 games in all competitions this year, the Los Angeles Football Club has gone scoreless seven times.
The only LAFC foe to accomplish that more than once? Austin FC, which arrives Wednesday at BMO Stadium as a sturdy challenge ahead of Game 1 of the best-of-three, first-round playoff series between the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the Western Conference.
Austin left Exposition Park in mid-March a 1-0 winner. (It was LAFC’s eighth match in 20 days to jumpstart the season.) Seven months later, the teams clashed in the Texas capitol and LAFC, missing Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, dropped a crucial contest by the same score.
Each outcome hinged on lapses in set piece defending on match days when head coach Steve Cherundolo’s group wasn’t its usual dangerous self around the opposing net.
“It’s very rare to lose two games like that in the same fashion,” Cherundolo said, heading into his fourth and final MLS Cup playoff appearance before leaving for Europe next year. “But I think the real reason is not those set pieces. It’s us not creating enough chances.”
That was the theme for LAFC in the five clean sheets it suffered against MLS opponents. Managing no more than four shots on target in any of those games while giving up no more than four on target somehow yielded a handful of defeats.
Committed to playing five at the back in a compact low block that clogs up the works, Austin grew accustomed to low scores on the way to 47 points and a 13-13-8 regular season record.
During 24 of 34 games, Austin scored once or not at all, producing a conference-low 37 goals in the regular season. Conceding 45 times, a minus-eight goal differential ranks Austin worst among the 18 clubs that clinched a playoff berth.
LAFC tallied a goal or less 11 times in league play, including both losses to Austin, en route to consecutive 60-point seasons and a 17-8-9 margin against the league. High-powered and enthusiastic LAFC forwards helped the team to 65 goals, the fourth most in MLS this season, for a plus-25 margin.
Nevertheless, the double goose egg from Austin ended a string of 11 consecutive games getting scored on by LAFC.
Austin also happened to beat LAFC twice in 2022 prior to falling to the Black & Gold in the Western Conference final.
“We’re used to creating a lot of (chances),” team captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said. “We’re used to testing the keepers more often than we did against them the last two games. So it’s more about how we can create spaces. How we can attack their box and be more efficient, more effective in the final third. But again it’s not about one or two players.”
Well, it might be.
Wednesday night gives Austin its first look at Son operating alongside Bouanga. The dynamic duo joined teammates in recent days, sharpening up over a 10-day break leading into the postseason.
“Having them back in the squad for multiple training sessions and one game,” Cherundolo said, “I think you’ll see a very dangerous LAFC.
“We have ideas to use Sonny and Denis in critical areas. We also have ideas for them to not be used and to use others. I think that’s the key in having all of your players available.”
Except for midfielder Yaw Yeboah, Cherundolo has a full complement of players to select from. Yeboah did not participate in team activities since Saturday, when MLS put the 28-year-old Ghanaian on administrative leave for potential violations of league rules.
AUSTIN FC AT LAFC
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM, 1230 AM