(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The beautiful Spring Los Angeles evening was a perfect setting for the LAFC to take the pitch in search of a win for their customary “sell-out” crowd of 22,000+ fans inside of the increasingly fan-friendly and technically accommodating BMO Stadium. The Black & Gold’s opponent on this night of their 9th match would be the MLS Eastern Conference, New York Red Bulls.
[PRE-MATCH]: LAFC marched into this matchup against the New York Red Bulls with a come-from-behind tie with the Portland Timbers on 4/13. That was preceded by the dramatic win over the L.A. Galaxy on 4/6 at BMO Stadium. Their current record going into the match was (3-3-2 = 11 points) and a 7th place standing. The Red Bulls, flew into our City of the Angels with a record of (4-1-3=15 points) and a 2nd place standing in the MLS Eastern Conference.
Finally, and without saying, El Grupo 3252 and its never-tiring Drum Corps, plus the entire Northern End with its vast array of Territorial Groupings, were pumped up and ready to go for all of the fans.
[aigpl-gallery-slider id=”123380″][Photo Gallery]: Frankli Robles for East L.A. Sports Scene Productions
[MATCH SUMMARY]
[REFEREE]: Guido Gonzalez, Jr.
[1st HALF]: As the match was barely underway, at the (8:00) mark, Defender, #33/Aaron Long, was injured when he chased down a “grounder” kicked ball, but as he was marked by his opponent, Forward, #13/Dante Vanzeir, their combined momentum carried Long into the right goal-post injuring him in his shin area, causing him to be replaced by Head Coach Steve Cherndulo under advice by the doctor who attended him on the pitch. At that point, Defender, #4/Eddie Segura was called upon to enter the match.
Then, on the first play after the re-start of the match, the Red Bulls gladly accepted the gift of an LAFC “self-goal” by Segura when he inadvertently headed the ball, on the subsequent New York corner kick, and into the goal in front of three opponents. This was the first score of the match, making it Red Bulls 1, LAFC 0. The goal was recorded at the (8:00) minute mark.
There appeared a chance to score by the Black & Gold at the (28:00) mark when a “Free Kick” was awarded to them near the upper right side of the 18-yard box. The shot, taken by midfielder, #19/Mateusz Bogusz, unfortunately, ricocheted away from the goal’s crease area after it was fought for by the cluster of players both for the defense and the offense.
After the first (45:00) minutes of a well-played defensive match, the Referee added (4:00) minutes of stoppage time. The match’s time of possession favored the Black & Gold but they were denied on each scoring attempt. The final (2:00) minutes of stoppage time saw the Red Bulls take two corner kicks but with no success in netting a goal, and thus the first half of play came to a close.
[HALF-TIME SCORE]: NY Red Bulls 1 LAFC 0
[2nd HALF]: At the 67th minute, a Penalty Kick was awarded to LAFC on a foul by defender, #15/Sean Nealis. But, upon further review by the VAR, the call made on the pitch was put under review. After the review with Referee Guido Gonzalez, Jr., the original decision on the pitch would stand, and #99/Denis Bouanga stepped up to take the kick. He blasted it past the goalie, #31/Carlos Coronel, who went to his left but Bouanga’s rocket shot flew right at a 45° angle, and into the far corner of the netting. He then did his customary “post-goal” front flip, much to the roaring delight of the fans. The score was now tied with this goal, (1-1).
At the 81st minute, on a corner kick, just after a tremendous save by LAFC’s outstanding goalkeeper, #1/Hugo Lloris, the Red Bulls scored on a kick that went past the front group of players and right into the midst of several New York players who were at the far side of the netting. Once found, it was calmly kicked in by Midfielder, #10/Emil Forsberg for the go-ahead, (2-1) goal. The match’s stoppage time granted was (8:00) minutes.
As the sports-themed saying goes, “It’s never over till it’s over” and then Bouanga once again lighted up the BMO crowd with an electrifying 18-yarder from the left side and like a guided missile, it found its target, tying the score at (2-2). This action came at the (95:00) minute mark of Stoppage time. That would be the last of the action for the match and the Black & Gold were happy to earn the single point for the draw.
[FULL-TIME SCORE]: LAFC 2 New York Red Bulls 2 [ATTENDANCE]: 22,122
[OF SIGNIFICANCE]: The obvious due diligence of #99/Denis Bouanga, who kept his notable confidence in the team when the BMO “Close-Up Cam” focused on him at critical times of the match. Although he was well-marked for most of the match, his perseverance paid off as he delivered the two-goal match, called a “brace” in soccer terminology. This performance solidified the fact that he is one of the most-feared players in the MLS.
[NEXT UP]: Portland Timber, Saturday, April 27th at BMO Stadium. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. PT and can be seen “Live” on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and heard on the radio at 710 AM ESPN LA, 980 AM La Mera Mera, and SiriusXM FC.
