LAFC’s winless streak at 3 games after scoreless draw with Rapids

LOS ANGELES — Leaning on fresh legs for inspiration, the Los Angeles Football Club made several changes to the starting lineup that fell flat on Sunday in a lopsided loss to San Jose.

Those tweaks didn’t make much difference on Wednesday night, as the Colorado Rapids played LAFC to a scoreless draw at BMO Stadium.

For the Rapids, the result marked the first time in 10 matches across all competitions that they did not lose on the road to LAFC, which had outscored them 26-2 over that span.

As LAFC advances in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, maintaining its form in MLS play is proving increasingly challenging.

Wednesday’s outcome left LAFC winless in three consecutive league matches, taking one point out of nine.

Looking to turn the corner ahead of a trip to Minnesota before the two-leg Champions Cup semifinal against Deportivo Toluca FC, begins next Wednesday at BMO Stadium, LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos made three alterations to the team that suffered a 4-1 setback to the Earthquakes last weekend.

Entering the fray for the first time since rupturing his Achilles tendon last summer, center back and captain Aaron Long replaced Nkosi Tafari, who started and played through the final whistle in each of the club’s previous 14 matches, playing 45 minutes.

Forward Jacob Shaffelburg also received his initial start for LAFC (5-2-2, 17 points), opening alongside hungry attackers Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min.

Those changes, however, did little to help LAFC’s attack.

At the break, the Black & Gold did not have a shot and were out-possessed 76%-23%. Overall, the Rapids (4-4-1, 13 points) dominated the ball, holding it 71% of the time.

Colorado came into the match with 21 goals in league play, the second-most in MLS, yet was shut down by LAFC, especially throughout the second half when Lloris did not have to deal with another attempt on target.

“We’re happy to not give up goals,” defender Eddie Segura said following his 11th start of the year and 150th regular-season appearance for LAFC. “At the same time, there’s a little bit of a sour taste in our mouths not being able to get the win. At this point, it’s about recovering and getting ready for the next few matches and putting our best foot forward.”

Segura is two games behind Carlos Vela for the most in club history.

While LAFC defended up to its standard, the club finished the night with just two shots on target.

Neither Bouanga nor Son threatened, and for the third straight league match the Frenchman did not place a shot on target.

“Now it’s a difficult moment for him,” Dos Santos said. “When it’s difficult for him or any of our attacking players, it’s more difficult for us as a team to create.”

Bouanga, who played his 110th regular-season match on Wednesday, ranks outside the MLS top 10 in goals (four) and shots on target (12). He was tied for second in goals and had the most shots on target the previous two seasons, piggybacking on his MLS Golden Boot in 2023.

Starting more centrally, Bouanga was closer to Son, which Dos Santos said the coaches want to see without sacrificing the team’s defensive structure.

They rarely linked up. Slated to play 70 minutes, Son was officially subbed off in the 75th minute.

When LAFC had moments to push, Bouanga, Son and company were unable to deliver a proper pass that threatened Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

“Today was important not to concede because of the game against San Jose that got out of hand,” Dos Santos said. “But yes, offensively, we have work to do. Offensively we have to find a way that we’re confident and comfortable again to play out of pressure. To be capable of doing it like we did the first month, and now it’s gotten a little out of track, especially the two games against Cruz Azul. So we have to revisit that and also have our attacking players closer to each other. Sometimes I feel that they’re far from each other. It’s pretty good in transition moments but we have to grow with the ball.”

Once again Hugo Lloris stood firm, stopping a pair of first-half chances as well as a deflection off Long that required a quick reaction to avoid an own-goal in consecutive matches. The result was his league-leading seventh clean sheet this year, and 30th since arriving in L.A. in 2024.

LAFC’s best chance, though technically still not a shot on goal, came in the 56th minute when Mathieu Choinière struck a first-time shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced off the post.

Shaffelburg had a couple of decent looks, including LAFC’s first shot on target, before being removed in the 67th minute for David Martínez.

LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustáquio also took the field for the first time since March 7, replacing Choinière, a fellow Canadian international.

“It was good to give some minutes to Aaron Long to have another option at the back,” Dos Santos said. “It’s good to have the return of Steph. These things are going to add up with time, but now we have to be really strong mentally to keep pushing with the games that are coming.”

A dead leg and subsequent setbacks in recovery prompted LAFC to send Eustáquio to recover in Portugal, where medical staff for FC Porto, which loaned the Canadian to the Black & Gold through the end of June, helped him return fully fit to L.A. on Friday.

After winning five straight, all by shutout, prior to Eustáquio’s exit from the lineup, LAFC compiled seven points in five games without him leading up to the midweek contest.

Eustáquio’s reintroduction on Wednesday, comes at a key moment. LAFC has been challenged to compile points in MLS while staying alive in the Champions Cup.

“We know it’s not a sprint,” Dos Santos said. “We have to stay strong until the World Cup break.”