Diego Rossi added two more goals to his season total in a 5-1 victory for LAFC
The Los Angeles FC season continues to be influenced by the play of Diego Rossi. Another two goals were scored by the Uruguayan playmaker as the Western Conference club defeated their in-state foes San Jose Earthquakes by a final score of 5-1. After losing their last two fixtures by a combined score of 5-1 the dominant victory over the Earthquakes was a welcome result.
LAFC appeared to be heading in the wrong direction based on their previous two performances but they displayed the normal offensive dominance fans have been accustomed to seeing. This result gets them back on track towards reaching the postseason and going on a run to the final of the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs.
Here are three things we learned from LAFC’s victory.
LAFC’s Diego Rossi is a legitimate contender to win the Golden Boot
The two goals by Rossi further extend his lead in the MLS Golden Boot race. He has nine goals scored in eight appearances which are now three goals better than second-place Chris Mueller’s six goals. Rossi was not the pick to win the Golden Boot at the start of the season but it’s looking more likely he will stay at the top.
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Without Carlos Vela, in the lineup, the opportunities for Rossi to score are only going to continue. There is no set date for the return of Vela to resume playing for LAFC in the regular season. As a result, the club will continue to turn to Rossi for their main source of goals.
There doesn’t appear to be anything stopping Rossi from scoring at the moment. He’s already just seven goals away from matching his goal total from last year and there are 15 regular season fixtures remaining for LAFC. It’s shaping up to be a memorable year for the 23-year-old.
The new guys get their first goals
Two of the goal scorers for LAFC registered their first career goals. Jose Cifuentes and Danny Musovski opened their accounts with goals in the second half. This was a key moment for them both as they struggled to make an impact in their previous appearances this season. With their first goals in the books, it should build their confidence moving forward in 2020.
Wow. @LAFC put up 🖐️ goals. 3 points secured! pic.twitter.com/9nCI5bHICR
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 3, 2020
Cifuentes is a player who is very capable of being a lethal offensive player as he did score the top goal at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Expect to see more goals from him in the LAFC kit in the months to come. If he can turn into a goal scorer off the bench then LAFC will be even more dangerous offensively.
A big result for LAFC’s backline
LAFC have been conceding a lot of goals as of late. However, they changed that trend against the Earthquakes allowing only a very late consolation goal to be scored. Overall, it was the backlines best performance since the return from the MLS is Back Tournament.
One of the big changes manager Bob Bradley went with for this match was playing Latif Blessing at right-back and bringing Tristan Blackmon into the center-back role. This seems to be a better way of lining up in the back for LAFC. Blessing has done very well playing at right-back and Blackmon is likewise much better at center-back. LAFC should continue to line up in the back this way if they continue to find success defensively.