The Banc of California Stadium welcomed their two marquee signings- Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini- on their home debuts. A pulsating game that saw the home side beat Seattle Sounders 2-1, courtesy of goals from Kwadwo Opoku and the unstoppable Carlos Vela. A win that now sees them leapfrog over Austin FC in the Western Conference by seven points with a game in hand. LAFC are also six points ahead of Eastern Conference table-toppers Philadelphia in the race for the supporter’s shield.
Seattle, who won the Western Conference final at the Banc in 2019, started promisingly in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Schmetzer’s men got off to a dream start when Christian Roldan took advantage of a poor LAFC clearance. He won possession high up the field and breezed past Latif Blessing, Ilie, Escobar, and Chiellini to drill in a powerful low cross, only for Murillo to put it back in his net. The American international’s reward was down to his tenacious box-to-box display that gave the Sounders the lead in the 14th minute and left the home crowd stunned.
The home side went close to levelling the score when Carlos Vela’s twist and turn and pass to Jose Cifuentes, who set up a neat little one-two flick with Blessing, only for Cifuente’s effort to be saved by the Sounders goalkeeper Frei.
In the 27th minute, LAFC appeared to have equalised from a breath-taking strike by Carlos Vela. It was later turned down by the video review, which indicated that the ball had initially bounced off the captain’s arm.
The away side almost doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark from the Slovakian International Albert Rusnak’s corner kick which went straight towards Xavier Arregea, who was unmarked and failed to capitalise on LAFC’s defence switching off during the set piece play.
Kwadwo Opoku, fondly called Mahala, brought back the home side on level terms with a thunderous strike that blazed past the Sounders defense and Stefan Frei, whose diving effort could not stop the Ghanian's goal as he netted his fifth goal of the season.
In the 37th minute, Giorgio Chiellini dipped forward higher up the pitch from Frei’s goal kick, where he dribbled past Nicolas Lodeiro to fire a fascinating left-footed drive where Sebastian Frei had to get a touch. Angel Di Maria, Manuel Locatelli, and Chiellini’s defensive partner at Juventus- Leonard Bonnuci, the most notable guests at the stadium, were left in awe by the former Old Lady legend’s thunderous strike.
Fantastic Frei was into the act yet again as Vela’s switch of play to the left flank towards Blessing, who played it into Cristian Arango’s feet, only to see him save from point blank range on what certainly looked to be Arango’s tenth goal of the season.
Moments before the first half whistle Carlos Vela got his goal, who found a tight area to squeeze in a wonderful cross from Cifuentes. The club captain’s seventh goal of-the-year put the home side ahead, but the key talking point during half-time would be the latter’s vision and ability to find the Mexican international.
LAFC started the second half brightly when a Cifuentes through ball to Mahala Opuku saw the latter’s shot go wide. The home side grew into confidence with a wonderful display from the coaching manual between Carlos Vela, Ilie, Cifuentes and Palacios. The cross from the flank to Opuku’s deflected effort had crippled its way towards Blessing, only for Frei to save it on the goal line.
The moment that the entire crowd was waiting for had then finally arrived when Gareth Bale entered the field with 28 minutes to go to mark his home debut for the club. The Welshman dazzled with moments of brilliance and intelligence by linking up with Blessing and Cifuentes. The former Real Madrid star gave a taste of what he would bring to the table for the LAFC faithful.
With the game ending 2-1, Los Angeles Football Club's fourth consecutive win of the season as their two new marquee signings are yet to taste defeat can only result in more positivity and energy for head coach Steven Cherundolo’s side.
Match Stats
| LA Galaxy FC | Team Stats | Seattle Sounders FC |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Shots | 11 |
| 8 | Shots on Target | 0 |
| 48% | Possession | 52% |
| 422 | Passes | 453 |
| 78% | Pass Accuracy | 81% |
| 16 | Fouls | 10 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 1 | Offsides | 0 |
| 8 | Corners | 4 |
Lionel Messi’s agent refutes claims of Inter Miami stake purchase and a potential move
LAFC 2 – 1 Seattle Sounders – Bale and Chiellini Win on Home Debut for the Black and Gold
Summer 2022: A summer of the overhaul for Tottenham that should send fans, and opposition frenetic
How Man City could line up Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips with their current squad
An active transfer window to fire Sparta Rotterdam up on the Eredivisie table
Barcelona have made a significant stride forward with the signing of Jules Kounde
Chelsea Eyeing Villareal defender Pau Torres for a £50m Move: Good choice for Tuchel?
From Haaland’s double score to Ten Hag’s debut defeat- Here’s all from the first week of Premier League
Alex Telles ‘didn’t think twice’ before leaving Man United and joining Sevilla FC
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid join race for RB Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko
Nottingham Forest’s promotion, Arsenal’s win, Aston Villa’s defeat- all from the first week of Premier League
Sevilla fc winger Oussama Idrissi returns to dutch league for another season
Manchester City, Arsenal, and Aston Villa win big in the second week of the Premier League
From Fulham’s win to Tuchel and Conte’s public feud- all the drama from the second week of Premier League 2022
Grand Prix Badminton League 2022: Sharks & Bulls score thrilling wins, face-off with Wolves & Falcons confirmed
How is SL Benfica Academy so successful at producing and developing young talent
Why Brandon Vázquez should be in the USMNT squad for the World Cup in Qatar this winter
Sebastian Driussi, the striker who lifted Austin FC to unthinkable heights
Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City- big names that disappointed in the third week of the Premier League
Spurs, Crystal Palace, and Fulham win big in the third week of the Premier League
Real Salt Lake breaking new ground with their purchase of 18-year-old USYNT playmaker Diego Luna
LAFC midfielder José Cifuentes: Transfer target for Premier League's Brighton
Haaland scores a hat-trick; Liverpool thrash Bournemouth 9-0: All from the fourth week of Premier League
Punk-Moxley set for a rematch to claim AEW World Championship: AEW Dynamite Recap
Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa fail to impress in the fourth week of the Premier League
Anthony Gordon: Merseyside’s latest boy wonder on the verge of a breakthrough
City Win Big, Liverpool Squeak Through And Arsenal Win Again In Match Week Five Of The Premier League
Jesus Ferreira-Alan Velasco-Paul Arriola: Best attacking trio in the MLS?
DP Asia Cup 2022 Review- Pakistan vs Hong Kong: Pak wins big against Hong Kong
Manchester United, Chelsea, and Brentford win in the sixth week of the Premier League
Arsenal, Fulham, Leicester, and Southampton fail to impress in the sixth week of the Premier League
Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest US Open Champion after defeating Casper Ruud in the finale
Denis Bouanga: Will LAFC’s latest acquisition solidify the MLS Cup title for the team?
Aaron Hickey: The Golden Boy Nominee Ready To Light Up The Premier League
Brennan Johnson: The next superstar striker with the potential to play for big clubs
EPL Review: Haaland at it again, A sigh of relief for Gerrard, and Chaos at the City Ground
Comments