Is the Golden Age of LAFC Ending with Four Straight Losses in Finals?

Winning feels glorious, but failure... man, failure has a special way of sinking its teeth in and not letting go. And for LAFC, those teeth have bitten deep lately. Since their triumphant MLS Cup win in 2022, LAFC has found themselves tripping over the same hurdles, landing in four crucial finals only to lose them all.

2023 Concachampions – a shot at writing their name into international history. The opponent? Club León, a Mexican powerhouse, no doubt about it. What went down? Defeat. Then came the 2023 Campeones Cup against Tigres, another fierce Mexican team. Result? Another loss. Next up: the 2023 MLS Cup, back on the domestic stage against Columbus Crew. The fans could hardly believe it... yet another defeat. And just when you thought they’d hit rock bottom, the 2024 Leagues Cup rolls around. Once again, Columbus Crew stands in their way. And guess what? Yep, another loss.

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It’s almost unbelievable how a team that seemed destined to rule the soccer scene in the U.S.—and maybe beyond—has suddenly become synonymous with heartbreak in finals. What’s going on with LAFC? Where’s the team that lit up the MLS with their ferocity, aggressive style, and star power?

What’s striking about this losing streak isn’t that they’re just random losses, those off days every team has. No, we’re talking about finals! The very stage where LAFC shone so brightly in 2022 now feels like some sort of cursed ground for them. They show up, put on their war paint, but when the whistle blows for crunch time, something falls apart. Is it mental? Is it a leadership thing? Whatever it is, four finals, four losses—it’s the kind of script Hollywood wouldn’t even write, yet LAFC is living it.

If we step back for a sec, this collapse in finals has to have some reason behind it. Is it over the top to say the team got complacent after their MLS Cup win? Maybe. When you reach the top, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking success will just keep rolling in by itself. But soccer doesn’t work like that. Every match is a new battle, and the other teams are always gunning to take down the giants. In LAFC’s case, it seems like their opponents smelled blood and didn’t hesitate to go for the jugular.

Take León, for instance. They’re no rookies. They know the Concachampions inside and out and played with the kind of savvy that comes with knowing how to handle the heat of an international final. Tigres? A Mexican juggernaut that’s used to finals, packed with players who’ve tasted glory before. And the Columbus Crew? You can’t underestimate the history of a club that’s already hoisted the MLS Cup. For them, beating LAFC was like slaying a modern-day Goliath. Twice, mind you.

So, what now? LAFC is clearly at a crossroads. They can keep riding this wave of almost-success—so close yet so far—or they can flip the script and turn these losses into fuel for their future. The team’s got to figure out what’s going wrong. The talent is there, no doubt. Guys like Denis Bouanga didn’t just forget how to play from one year to the next. The issue runs deeper, something that’s messing with their heads when they need to stay cool and collected the most.

The bottom line? LAFC desperately needs to rethink their approach to finals. They’ve got to figure out how to handle the pressure, how to bust through those mental roadblocks that seem to pop up in the big games. It’s not enough to dominate during the regular season—what really counts is who’s holding the trophy at the end. And lately, LAFC has been left empty-handed.

Now, fixing this mess? That’s not going to be easy. But maybe it’s time for some key changes both on and off the field. Head coach Steve Cherundolo has to step up and be more than just a tactician. He’s got to be a motivator, a psychologist, and heck, maybe even a bit of a magician to lift this weight off his players’ shoulders. Because, let’s face it, losing four straight finals is a heavy burden to carry.