Carlos Vela scored the first LAFC goal in front of the 3252 supporters section on Sunday evening against NYCFC.
By Ivan Yeo
LAFC’s last home match on its first ever homestand on promised to deliver a lot of fireworks on the pitch, which it did.
LAFC’s Sunday evening tilt with New York City FC featured plenty of quality on the pitch. LAFC featured Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi and Latif Blessing while in the other side, New York City brought in David Villa, last year’s breakout star Yangel Herrera and promising attacking player Jesus Medina. Both teams did not disappoint, and considering how the match went, with both teams trading goals in both halves, perhaps it was only fitting that the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
“I love great matches,” LAFC head coach Bob Bradley said. “When you have a great match in a great stadium on a great field, except for the first few minutes … there’s no shadows on the field and the fields wet and all that kind of good stuff, that’s good for us because those kinds of games reinforce what we’re doing.”
The point earned by LAFC keeps them in second place in the Western Conference, three points back of Sporting Kansas City. While it didn’t get the win, LAFC ends its first ever homestand undefeated, having won two matches and drawing two at Banc of California Stadium.
“It’s definitely important,” Walker Zimmerman said of its undefeated run at home. “You want to take three points every time you play at home, so I think there is a little bit of bitterness with getting two ties, but to be undefeated is definitely a step in the right direction.”
It didn’t take long for the first goal of the match to come, which was in the 12th minute. It did take a while however for the sequence to materialize. Maximiliano Moralez sent a corner just outside of the top of the box, Anton Tinderholm wound up and sent a one-timer into the box, it took a deflection and went across the endline. Immediately, NYCFC’s players ran to referee Chris Penso, claiming that deflection went off the hand of LAFC’s Eduard Autesta, meaning that instead of a corner, NYCFC would be awarded the penalty. Penso got the call for video review and after a brief break, Penso awarded NYCFC the penalty.
Who else by David Villa would step up to take the penalty for NYCFC, but even that had its moment, as Tyler Miller denied Villa from the spot, but Miller could not stop the ball from going back into play, and Villa sent the rebound into the back net to stake New York to the lead. LAFC was undeterred, and had an answer in the 23 minute. Carlos Vela sent a corner kick into the penalty area, Zimmerman headed a ball towards goal, Sebastian Ibeagha tried to make a play on the ball with his right foot, but he instead sent the ball into the back net for an own goal, leveling matters at one apiece.
In the second half, it was LAFC that edged ahead. Omar Gaber took a ball from Diego Rossi and crossed into the penalty area, Mark Anthony Kaye touched the ball down, and while he couldn’t get a clear shot off, the ball went to Carlos Vela, who took one touch before firing a ball into the back net uncontested for his first goal at home, but also the first LAFC goal in front of the 3252 supporters section.
“It was good,” Vela said of his goal. “Scoring goals is always a good feeling for me and more when it’s the first with my fans, so it’s a special goal and I hope after this goal, I score many, many goals in this stadium.”
NYCFC looked for one more boost, and it came from one of its subs. David Villa led a counterattack, played a ball to Tinerholm, who sent a cross that deflected off Steve Beitashour, but continued dangerously towards goal. Miller however made the play, swatting the ball short of the near post. The ball however stayed in the penalty area and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, who came in as a sub back in the 69th minute, swooped in from the left and sent a shot off the crossbar and across the goal line to tie the match.
Aside from the goals, the chances were plenty for both sides, especially in the second half. Laurent Ciman nearly put LAFC ahead back in the 62nd minute, as he sent a free kick off a NYCFC wall, only to see the ball hit off the post. NYCFC themselves went on the offensive short after its equalizer, getting two great chances, the first chance coming in the 77th minute, as Villa played Jesus Medina into the penalty area, Medina took the shot, but Miller made the save off his face. Four minutes later, Jo Inge Berget sent a shot that got past Miller, but it missed the far post by inches.
Then it was LAFC’s turn to try and win the match. Carlos Vela had two great looks at goal, the first coming when he headed a Diego Rossi cross towards goal, but Sean Johnson parried the ball over the crossbar, and the second was when he shot inside the box, from a tight angle on the left side. Still, the shot was on target and it required Johnson to make a play on the ball.
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