A win on Tuesday night will ensure May will be the busiest time of year for the Los Angeles Football Club.
And the way Major League Soccer point leaders have played so far, it’s okay for them to be involved in as many games.
Steve Cherundolo could nearly double his presence as LAFC head coach during this month alone, having worked nine matches separately from February to April.
LAFC went head-to-head against Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia on May 1, scoring a point after a 2-0 win over Minnesota on May 1 and a pair of second-half goals to maintain their unbeaten record at home. Rally with
Letting down opponents is central to Cherundolo’s tactical thinking, and the team’s success, especially during the second half of matches, reflects the quality of the roster at his disposal.
From the second league match, when the Portland Timbers scored a goal to Mamadou Fall in the 93rd minute and left LA with a 1–1 draw in early March, the trend has been.
“I think we are looking for a team that definitely has more confidence than the team that we played in the second game of the season,” Portland head coach Gio Savaris said before the round of 32 match. “
Moving on to the next stage of America’s oldest soccer tournament – not points – will be on the line as the Timbers tour Bank of California Stadium for the second time this year.
LAFC’s third Open Cup tournament began on April 20, when it defeated USL champion Orange County SC 5–1.
Moving towards another midweek Open Cup match, Cherundolo said he was confident that injured forward Brian Rodriguez and Ismail Tajouri-Shradi as well as All-Star center back Jesus Murillo would be picked up by his teammates.
If so, defeating the Timbers would add another match to LAFC’s games in May, ensuring eight matches over 28 days for the MLS points leader.
Otherwise, it would be seven matches for Portland in 22 days if the result went their way – which is what this competition has.
Each club wins the previous Open Cup matches, LA . in both quarterfinal competitions
LAFC went ahead with a score of 3-2 in 2018. The following year, Portland closed out a major LAFC group 1–0. Thereafter both the clubs were eliminated during the semi-final round.
Portland’s 35th Open Cup appearance is underway, while the Oregonians enter the current round of matches along with seven other MLS sides.
Playing a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Portland traveled across the country on a short sabbatical, prompting Savaris to announce that he expected to rotate several starters from the lineup. .
The Timbers had not scored in seven consecutive appearances before joining on one at Red Bull Arena.
“If we bring the energy that we did to New York we’re going to be very competitive,” Savares said.
Both sides acknowledge the knockout nature of the format, which includes the possibility of overtime and penalty kicks, affects the attitude of these types of matches.
“Well, I don’t think any team wants to go into overtime, it’s a short week,” Cherundolo said. “I think that’s what you’ll see. I think you can see a more aggressive style and of course at the end of the game I’m pretty sure the game will open up and both the teams will try to decide the game within 90 minutes.” .
LAFC vs Portland Timbers
When: Tuesday, 7:30 pm
Where: Bank of California Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: ESPN+ / 710 AM, 980 AM