When the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) started their inaugural season they had to play six consecutive games on the road while they waited for the opening of their new home Banc of California Stadium.
Back then LAFC acquitted themselves quite well, winning four of the six games and establishing themselves early as one of the better teams in MLS.
These days the team hasn’t been the road warriors they once were. Since a 5-3 win in Montreal, the last of their six road games to open the season, LAFC have won just once on the road. LAFC have gone 1-4-1, that’s only four points in their last six road games. They’re going to have to clean up their act soon as they go on the road this Wednesday in a U.S. Open Cup semi-final against Houston Dynamo.
LAFC will continue their journey at a historical first trophy. As noted they take on the Dynamo on the road with the winner getting a berth in the final. Los Angeles is bidding to become the third expansion team to win the U.S. Open Cup in their first season of MLS play.
In 1998 the Chicago Fire and in 2009 the Seattle Sounders pulled the feat off. LAFC coach Bob Bradley is familiar with this situation having lead the Fire to the 1998 Cup. If he can do it again he would become the first coach to pull it off twice.
LAFC will have to figure out their road woes, this is their first game on the road during the cup tournament and currently carry a two-game losing streak on the road.
LAFC has not been shy about making in-season moves meant to improve the team. When they lost forward Marco Urena to facial surgery the team traded for midfielder Lee Nguyen. When Carlos Vela and others went to the FIFA World Cup, the team acquired Adama Diomande.
Now with the season-ending ankle fracture to Mark-Anthony Kaye, Los Angeles continues to make moves to shore up their depth. The team traded allocation money to Minnesota United in exchange for Christian Guzman. The Southern California native is Minnesota’s all time leading goal scorer.
Guzman is another striker with a nose for goals that will make defending LAFC even more difficult. Hopefully they have enough touches to go around.
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