LAFC: A complete team effort results in a much-needed victory

LAFC earned a much-needed three points against the Portland Timbers

The return to the MLS regular season has not gone well for Los Angeles FC. Having lost four of their last five matches entering Sunday night’s fixture against the Portland Timbers, it was important they came away with all three points. After going down 1-0 early in the first half, it looked like it was going to be another long night for the LAFC backline. However, LAFC turned things around and earned a 4-2 victory.

Four different goal scorers helped lift LAFC to the win. Mark-Anthony Kaye scored in his first goal back from suspension with Diego Rossi and Bradley Wright-Phillips adding first-half goals. The three points were secured late in the second half as Danny Musovski scored his second goal of the 2020 campaign.

Backline holds strong in the second half for LAFC

It looked like the second half was going to be full of goals. The final minutes of the first half saw both clubs exchange goals and it appeared that trend would carry over into the second 45 minutes. Surprisingly, that did not occur as the LAFC backline held the Timbers in the second half to secure the victory.

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One of the biggest plays defensively came from center-back Dejan Jakovic who stopped Jaroslaw Niezgoda from getting an equalizer in the final minutes of the match. His last-ditch effort was a key moment for LAFC.

The second half performance has to be a boost in confidence. It has been a rough time for LAFC defensively as of late and this result is something they can build off of moving forward this season.

A complete team effort by LAFC

Six different players were involved in LAFC’s scoring. The sole source of goals was not placed on Rossi who has been nothing sort of phenomenal. Although Rossi did score one goal in this match, other players were there to find the back of the net and the final pass.

Brian Rodriguez picked up two assists in one of his best performances since returning to the regular-season schedule. Kaye had a goal and an assist after returning from a one-match suspension for receiving a red card last week against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Two very encouraging performances from regular selections in the starting XI.

For Musovski, he now has two goals in his last three appearances. He has proved to be a good option off the bench for Bob Bradley’s squad which is very encouraging as they need a player to come in late and make a difference.

A much-needed win in the playoff race

The Western Conference playoff race is very tight. LAFC entered this fixture outside of the playoff places but their victory over the Timbers sees them move up to fourth place in the table. With that being said, they have played 11 matches which is one more match played than the Galaxy, Timbers, FC Dallas, and the Colorado Rapids. For this reason, they are far from safety in the standings.

A loss to the Timbers would have further added to the trouble LAFC finds themselves in. That is why this win was so important for them in regards to their season outlook. They can’t afford to continue to drop points in the weeks to come as they are still in danger of missing the playoffs. More performances like Sunday’s victory will be needed if they hope to make it a third consecutive postseason appearance.