LAFC defeats Austin FC 2-0 to start the 2021 MLS campaign
Los Angeles, CA – 2021 has welcomed fans back into live games and for Los Angeles, outdoor facilities were allowed to welcome back fans at 33 percent capacity. That meant 4,900 fans were in attendance to welcome back the start of the league, specifically, to watch Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) enter its fourth season in Major League Soccer. They played host to Austin FC in what was their inaugural regular season match. Austin is MLS’s most recent expansion team.
At the outset of the game, a tifo was lifted in honor of Mauricio “Mo” Fascio. He lost his battle with Covid-19 on March 20th, 2021. Mo was one of the founding members of the 3252 group and was the Vice-President of the 3252 Supporters Union. He was a grandfather, a husband and he was a true leader who often led by example.
LAFC started without South American star player Diego Rossi as he is recovering from a left hamstring injury. The Expansion team from Austin featured former Club America player, Cecilio Dominguez. He is looking to put a stamp with his new club and on MLS as well.
The first 20 minutes of the game were very even as both teams were looking for rhythm. Bob Bradley’s team was looking to take an early lead, however, that proved to be difficult as Austin FC were playing solid defense. In the 21st minute, LAFC captain Carlos Vela appeared to have a clear chance to score, but he wasn’t able to control the ball. This action led to him missing a step and sliding on the grass in his attempt to reach the ball. He was hesitant to get up afterwards and made a gesture asking for assistance from a trainer. In this confusion, Bob Bradley thought Vela was injured and was calling in for a substitution. With that, in came Kwadwo Opoku. The first half would in a 0-0 stalemate.
In the 2nd half, the Black and Gold kept applying pressure on Austin FC’s defense. In the 61st minute, LAFCs Corey Baird placed the ball behind the net thanks to a Danny Musovsky assist. As the game progressed, Austin FC led ball possession, however, they simply were not able to manufacture any goals. In stoppage time, Jose Cifuntes, or “Cifu” as his teammates call him, scored another goal for LAFC putting them ahead for good. This goal was assisted by Kwadwo Okopu and would leave the final score 2-0 in favor of the home team. Next up for LAFC are the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, April 24th at 3:00 PM.
