Two of last season’s more successful Major League Soccer clubs, Los Angeles FC and Austin FC, face each other Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles in a rematch of the 2022 Western Conference final.
LAFC (3-0-2, 11 points) is the defending MLS Cup champion. Austin FC fell to LAFC 3-0 in that playoff game after two wins over LAFC in the regular season.
LAFC is in third place in the West and Austin FC (2-2-1, seven points) sits in seventh.
The teams share a common most recent opponent. LAFC played to a scoreless draw at Colorado last week, while Austin FC drew with Colorado 1-1 on March 25.
Austin FC defender Jon Gallagher leads the team in goals with three.
“You could see we (were) fatigued, looked tired as the game went along,” Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said after the Colorado game. “I’d say we were fortunate to get the tie.”
LAFC is almost unbeatable at home. The club has won 14 of its last 16 home matches, with a draw as part of the two that weren’t wins. The team is unbeaten in 24 of its last 26 home games, including the playoffs.
LAFC played a CONCACAF Champions League match Wednesday night, a 3-0 win in the first leg against the Vancouver Whitecaps in Canada. On two days’ rest, the club is back on the pitch for a regular-season game.
Denis Bouanga scored two of LAFC’s goals Wednesday, one in the 55th minute and the other in the 65th. Bouanga has five goals in three CONCACAF Champions League appearances for LAFC.
LAFC will get another two-day period of rest before facing Vancouver in the second leg at home.
“I have high objectives for myself and for the group,” Bouanga said through a translator to the LAFC website. “(I) believe that we have a fantastic group and that we can do it back-to-back. And (I) do believe that deep down.”
–Field Level Media
