Goal-fest Ends In LAFC Victory
The matchup between powerhouses of their respective conferences got off to a hot start with Atlanta United striking first in the 2nd minute of the game. The goal came from a set-piece play that started when Julian Gressel lofted the ball to the back post area where Franco Escobar headed a pass towards the 6-yard box, it ricocheted and it landed for Mo Adams who threaded the ball into the back of the net past the oncoming LAFC defender.
LAFC slowly started to dictate the rhythm of the game after the early goal as they started to play through Atlanta’s right side of the field and create chances that were often resulting in corner kicks. Carlos Vela was the man to watch for the Atlanta defense as the LAFC midfield constantly fed long through balls to the Mexican striker in hopes of evening up the score. Diego Rossi did his part in the first half by almost curling in a ball past Brad Guzan in the 29th minute but was stopped by an outstretched Guzan.
LAFC’s constant bombardment on goal paid dividends in the 33rd minute when Mark-Anthony Kaye found a streaking Adama Diomande on the right side of the box to nail LAFC’s first goal of the night.
Things quickly unraveled for Atlanta United as they found themselves down by 3 goals in less than 15 minutes. A quick LAFC counterattack found a wide-open Vela on the right side of Atlanta’s half. Vela hit a cross meant for Diomande that bounced off an Atlanta defender and was finished with a powerful strike by Rossi that slipped through the Atlanta keeper’s hands.
Los Angeles kept the pressure going by scoring again in the 39th minute, this time from the penalty spot. Vela again was the x-factor as he dribbled around a couple of Atlanta defenders that sandwiched him just inside the box. This resulted in in the referee awarding an infraction against Atlanta and awarding a penalty. Vela scored his 22nd goal of the season past Guzan by kicking the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal to give a Los Angeles a 3-1 lead.
Speed was the name of the game in the first period of play for LAFC as they struck for a 4th time, again after another quick counterattack. The play originated from the middle of the field and the ball found it’s
The half ended with Josef Martinez finding just enough space between the LAFC defense to fire off a shot that bounced off Pablo Sisniega and into the back of the net. The half ended at 4-2 with a wounded Atlanta United heading back to the locker room looking to regroup and hope to claw back in the game.
Atlanta struck early in the second half with some help from LAFC’s defender Eddie Segura. Atlanta needing some fresh blood brought in Justin Meram for Mo Robinson. Meram quickly made his impact felt in the 51st minute by jetting past LAFC’s left-back and cutting inside near the goal line. Meram took a shot at goal that was missed by the LAFC goalkeeper and proceeded to bounce off Segura’s foot and into the back of the net to make it 4-3 Los Angeles.
After the goal, both teams were on the verge of scoring numerous times. Atlanta’s midfield and defense found a way to slow down LAFC’s attack. Atalanta did something they couldn’t do in the first half of play and was able to feed Josef the ball. Unfortunately, the Venezuelan striker was unable to convert on these scarce opportunities. LAFC continued their attack to conclude the second half but this time their play was built mostly through the wings instead of the counterattacks they had in the first period. Near the tail end of the game, Vela and Lee Nguyen both snuck past Atlanta’s defense and almost sealed the game with their blistering runs.
Guzan was brilliant in the latter half of the game stopping two clear goal chances from the LAFC offense. First, he stopped a low strike from just inside the box from Nguyen that went out for a corner kick. Next, Guzan kept LAFC off the scoreboard in the second half by diving for a ball that was close to goal after it was struck by Walker Zimmerman near the 6-yard box. Atlanta nearly leveled the game at the 89th-minute mark after Gressel received a cross on the right side of the box that was denied by a sliding LAFC defender. That proved to be Atlanta’s last chance of the game which ended in an entertaining 4-3 win for the home side.
Los Angeles will continue their reign on atop the MLS standings and will also continue their undefeated streak at home this season. LAFC’s performance may have yielded them 3 points but in the eyes of Bob Bradley, they have a lot of work to do during the All-Star break. Bradley was visibly irritated during a halftime interview where he expressed his frustration with how his team performed during the beginning and latter stages of the first half. For LAFC’s next game, they will head northeast to pay a visit to the New England Revolution on August 3rd.
After today’s loss, Atlanta United will have to wait to make some headway in their fight for 1st place in the MLS Eastern Conference. Atlanta United will next battle the Los Angeles Galaxy after the MLS All-star game in another tough matchup against Zlatan Ibrahimovic and company.
