From trailing the Galaxy by seven points in mid-September to leapfrogging their rival on Decision Day for the top seed in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Football Club is exactly where they worked to be on the march toward a third straight MLS Cup final appearance.
When LAFC fell apart in the second half at Dignity Health Sports Park in a 4-2 loss to the Galaxy on Sept. 15, they were in the midst of struggling to recover from a run the previous month that saw them make the Leagues Cup final and deplete their reserves in the process.
After falling to the Columbus Crew, LAFC returned to league competition and took two of its next 15 points, free falling down the conference standings as the roster struggled to physically and mentally recover in the wake of another runner-up finish.
Then came the next chance.
The U.S. Open Cup not only snapped a string of bad results in LAFC’s biggest games, it precipitated a late-season rally — securing 15 out of 15 points post the domestic title — that propelled them to best in the West for the second time in three seasons under head coach Steve Cherundolo.
“When you start to win one game, two games, the confidence is back,” said Hugo Lloris, who ended his first season in Los Angeles with 97 saves and tied Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina for a league-topping 12 clean sheets, including five consecutive in the spring during the longest shutout streak in club history.
“You don’t feel the fatigue anymore and that’s how we finished this regular season,” Lloris said. “Now it’s just a new competition that is going to start and we need to get the best from every player of the squad.”
A mix of playoff-experienced veterans and newcomers to the format, like Lloris and fellow French legend Olivier Giroud, comprise a deep group of players Cherundolo can trust as LAFC enters the best-of-three opening round series against a very familiar Vancouver Whitecaps team starting Sunday at BMO Stadium.
Vancouver defeated Portland 5-0 on Wednesday to advance out of the Wild Card game, ending a four-game losing streak and a late-season tailspin at the same time.
“We know them and they know us,” said Sergi Palencia, whose side can face the Canadian side a dozen times the past two seasons if the series goes the distance.
In three clashes this season, most recently the second-to-last regular season contest at BC Place, LAFC won both MLS contests and earned the point they needed in Leagues Cup group stage action.
Under Cherundolo the past two years, the Black & Gold are 6-1-2 in all competitions against Vanni Sartini’s Whitecaps, including a sweep in the same spot last postseason.
“If it works for you it’s good,” Palencia said. “You know the players. You know how you can hurt the team. You know their weaknesses. For sure they will know our weaknesses. But we know how we want to play, how we want to build up. We know how to attack. Then it will be different at the time we have to play and put our ideas in the game, but for now we know what to do and I think we can do it. We are very confident and we are in a good win streak and very excited to come into the playoffs.”
Two weeks ago, Matchday 33 came in the middle of an international window. Vancouver missed a half dozen players, several of their best, while LAFC arrived in British Columbia minus Denis Bouanga, who torments the Whitecaps across all competitions, as well as Cristian Olivera and Maxime Chanot.
LAFC’s 2-1 bookend victory, with scores in 32 seconds by Mateusz Bogusz and the 93rd minute by Ilie Sanchez, made them a solid 8-6-3 on the road and was one more moment when the starters and the bench carried the weight of winning together.
“The important thing is that you have at least 20 who are capable and ready,” Cherundolo said, “and it’s looking like we do have that.”
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Carlos Vela was expected to join that group and get his first minutes of the year on Decision Day but he did not because of how the stomach-churning 3-1 win over San Jose unfolded. Marlon — the Brazilian defender whose stoppage time header gave LAFC the advantage it needed to beat the Galaxy on goal differential — came on instead when center back Aaron Long had to be subbed off in the 80th minute.
With Jesus Murillo fully recovered from a badly sprained knee, Cherundolo has a variety of options from the backline up through the attack.
“It’s really nice to have the squad almost full,” Lloris said. “Training sessions have been really competitive and that’s what you are looking for. We can feel the intensity and we know we are playing for big [things].”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS AT LAFC
When: Sunday, 6:55 p.m. PT
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: Apple TV – Free, FS1/710 AM, ESPN LA App, 980 AM