(East Los Angeles, CA) April 19, 2022 [From The Editor’s Desk]: It was a beautiful and sunny Springtime Easter Sunday afternoon in our City of the Angels and just a “picture-perfect” scene from the press box. Of course, the Banc of California Stadium’s appreciative crowd of 22,097 led by Grupo 3252’s mesmerizing rhythmic drum beats, was fired up and ready to go. The temperature on the pitch was an even 70 degrees with nothing but a tranquil sea of lush, green Latitude 36^® Bermudagrass below.

(Celebrities Watch): “Olly” and Ken Miknuk with their Pre-match, “Falcon Flight” performance. Also, “B Real” and Eric Bobo of Cypress Hill were in attendance. (See them all in our photo gallery.) In watching from afar, like up in the blue sky of L.A., our very own Latino Mega-Star, Comedian/Actor, Gabriel Iglesias, aka “Fluffy” was promoting his upcoming May, Dodger Stadium appearance. 

[Match Recap] {1st Half} The Black & Gold came out with several scoring threats in the first (15:00) minutes. Fans were treated to some good and decent attempts on goal, but nothing that represented a hard-earned score was close. Sporting KC, came into the match with a (2-5-0) record while LAFC still reigned supreme atop the early season MLS–Western Conference standings with their (4-1-1) record.

In evaluating the “attack zone modes,” the stat-meter favored LAFC with more opportunities than KC but neither side could muster a goal by the (30th) minute. Both squads were basically feeling each other out with no clear-cut advantage to be seen. In the physicality-measured aspects of the match up to this point, LAFC drew 2 yellow cards in that aforementioned timeframe.

(Match Highlights): To view the highlight video, click here.

Then as quick as lightning can strike an object or the earth, at the (38th) minute KC’s, Johnnie Russell dribbled the sphere quite niftly and keenly some 50 yards downfield under tight “man-to-man” coverage, and deep into LAFC’s attacking zone. He then managed to find the netting and drove it past a very stunned Maxime Crépeau. However, upon further review, Referee Armando Villarreal, ruled that it was to be scored as an “auto-goal” that came off of #12/Diego Palacios. With that, it was Sporting KC 1, LAFC 0.

Moments later, in what was a designated “Free” kick attempt by Cristian “Chicho” Arango, from near “dead-center” above the penalty box, it caromed off the high right post for the miss and traveled some 30 yards out, where it was volleyed towards the goal by Palacios. And in the course of this direct attack, not dismayed or discouraged by the previous miss, the Black & Gold charged right back, and this time, with their instincts smelling a goal, they were successful when “Chicho” positively answered at the (43rd) minute with a lunging 4 ft. “header” into the net, tying the score at (1-1). The assist went to Mamadou Fall. One minute of stoppage time was added and then the half ended in a tie.

(HALF-TIME SCORE): LAFC  1  Sporting KC  1   (ATTENDANCE): 22,097

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(Photo Gallery): Erik Sarni, East L.A. Sports Scene Productions, LLC. 

{2nd HALF} Sporting KC began attacking just moments into the start. They took control and had a couple of shots on goal but came away empty. Then  the intensity level shifted upward when an unexpected “Yellow Card” was issued to the LAFC bench at the (49th) minute. Then another was issued at (51:00) to Diego Palacios. At the (55:00) minute mark, after a collision between a crowd of  players, Latif Blessing and “Chicho” Arango remained down on the turf as play went the opposite way to their goal. A huge roar of great disapproval was screamed out by the crowd at match Referee Armando Villarreal for not stopping play. Finally, he intervened and went back to check on them. Then, after being cleared by their medical crew, they both stayed in the match.

Then suddenly, the match changing moment occurred at the (69th) minute, when #19/Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, under high pressure from his defender, scored on a tremendous arcing rainbow  shot from just beyond the left side of the 18 yard penalty box. He perfectly placed it high above the goalie’s outstretched arms and into the net, making it (2-1) LAFC.

But the LAFC scoring was not quite done. At minute (73:00), subbing in for Chicho was Andy Musovski. Then moving to minute (76:00), all eyes turned to #11/José Cifuentes who performed some foot magic with a beautifully timed, “see it here, but now it’s there” move as he rammed the ball into the goal for a “back-breaking” lead of (3-1).

Coach Steve Cherundolo was able to sub freely at this point in the match and continued to replace his starters one-by-one. The remainder of the match was pretty much all “academic” as the Black & Gold would not be challenged any further. LAFC thus racked up their (5th win), against (1 loss) and (1 tie) for a total of (16) points, enough to keep them in 1st place in the Western Conference, just ahead of Austin FC in 2nd place with (14) points, and the Galaxy with (13) points in 3rd place. 

(FULL-TIME SCORE): LAFC  3   Sporting KC  1

(GRUPO 3252 PLAYER OF THE GAME): #19 Ismael Tajouri-Shradi.

(NEXT UP): Orange County SC, the defending Champions, United Soccer League, (USL), on Wednesday, 4/20 at 7:30 PM in the third round of the Lamar Hunt, U.S. “Open Cup.” It is the oldest soccer competition in the United States and is an annual tournament open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF) amateur and professional affiliated soccer teams. To watch: ESPN+; To Listen: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN App, & 980 AM La Mera Mera. Tickets are still available.