(East Los Angeles, CA) October 24, 2021 [From The Editor’s Desk]: On a beautiful post-card perfect and sun-drenched pitch, temperature on the Banc of California Stadium turf, was a hot 95º. On this October Saturday afternoon, after a week-long break due to the FIFA World Cup qualifying competition, the Black & Gold returned to the MLS’ playoff stretch battle against the San José Earthquakes hoping to secure much-needed victories for a coveted berth in the Western Conference.

In reflecting back on the season up to this point, it just wore right on after the MLS All-Star break in July without El Capitán, Carlos Vela, presumably out for the remainder of the season with his nagging injury that just could never heal up to the required 100%. But nonetheless, LAFC made a good run despite all of the changes made to its current roster of the 2021 season’s Post-All Star times.

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(LAFC Starting Line-Up): Goalie, 1 Jamal Blackman, 94 Jesús David Murillo (C), 32 Marco Farfan, 5 Mamadou Fall, 7 Latif Blessing,  Francisco Ginella,  Raheem Edwards, 33 Kim Moon-Hwan, 16 Danny Musovski, 29 Cristian Arango, and 11 José Cifuentes.

(1st Half Scoring): #1) LAFC  @2:26 #16, Danny Muzovski from Cristian “Chicho” Arango. What an assist…a perfectly timed, back-footed placement for a squared-on direct goal shot; #2) LAFC @ 27:55 Penalty Kick by “Chicho” on his slow footed and stutter-stepped approach attempt and nailed it to the right of goalie.

(Of Significance): Due to the high field temperature of 90º, the Referee, Alan Kelly, halted the match at the (29:00) minute for a (3) minute hydration break. (Half-Time Score): LAFC 2  San José  0

(2nd Half Scoring): #1) San José @ 61st minute when Carlos Fierro scored on a corner kick; #3 LAFC @ 88th minute when a “2-on-1” open field play was executed to perfection by Brian Rodríguez who fed a wide-open Chicho cruising into scoring position on his right wing attacking spot. Textbook teamwork and textbook shot. (Full-Time Score): LAFC  3  San José  1

(Of Significance): Rally times with fast-break situations, (similar to basketball), occurred at the 70th minute mark. Failure to drive home shots on the shooter’s instincts could become an issue. On the flip-side of that, perhaps taking the shot under a bit to a lot of pressure could end in some rebounded shots that cannot be defended.

To view the San Jose match highlights click here:

The final 5 minutes went back & forth with Black & Gold 6-6 goal-keeper Jamal Blackman earning himself several good saves. Stoppage time of (9) minutes was added by the Referee to complete the match. However, there was sill a bit more to the match’s temperamental undercurrents between several players from both sides. Then, at the most unpredictable moment both teams got into a shoving and finger-pointing match that occurred right in front of Grupo 3252. A yellow card was issued by Referee against an Earthquake player to calm things down and finish off the match.

(San Jose Match Recognitions): 3252’s “Man of the Match” – Cristian “Chicho” Arango. Sub-groups that were present at the match included: Los Originales, Empire Girls, and Somos Del Barrio Angelino.

Right after this match, the Black & Gold hit the road for a pair of games against, Dallas FC on 10/20 and earned three big points with the (3-2) victory. They closed out the brief trip this past Saturday when they traveled to Minnesota United and played to a (1-1) tie, earning themselves a fourth point on the road. They are now currently in 9th place with (41) points based on an (11-12-8) season record. 

(Next Home Match): Seattle Sounders, Tuesday, Oct. 26th at 7:30 pm. Media coverage of the match will be provided on TV/Cable by: ESPN, ESPN Deportes. And for Radio listeners, catch it on 1110 AM ESPN, ESPN app, and 980 AM Mera Mera