After losing four consecutive final matches, Los Angeles FC have won another title. But the U.S. Open Cup should only be the beginning of their season.
Los Angeles FC have prepared for the upcoming MLS playoffs by winning a title. The 2022 league champions beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 after extra time in the U.S. Open Cup final early Thursday morning (CEST), ending their minor final-game jitters.
Since their MLS triumph in 2022, the team of former Bundesliga professional Steven Cherundolo had lost one final after the other in the CONCACAF Champions League (1-2/0-1 to Club Leon), the Campeones Cup (2-4 a.e.t. to Tigres UANL), the MLS Cup (1-2
And this time, too, LAFC had to hold their nerve. Goalgetter Olivier Giroud put his side in front in the 53rd minute, but former Augsburg, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf player Erik Thommy quickly equalized, powering the ball past Hugo Lloris in the near corner (60′). Substitute Omar Campos finally put the hosts in the winning position in extra time (102nd minute). The final score was made by 40-year-old Kei Kamara (109th minute).
LAFC end losing streak – Thommy & Co. out of playoff contention
“I said I came here to win titles,” said Giroud afterwards, who had not been part of the squad for three of the four recent final defeats. “We’ve had a tough run in recent
In fact, LAFC had not won five games in a row, all in the league, where they are nevertheless on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs. Winning the U.S. Open Cup is said to have been just the beginning, especially since its value this season is limited: Due to disputes over match dates, MLS did not send all of its teams to the competition for the first time since 2011, with only eight participating.
For Thommy and Kansas City, who would have been joint record winners of the U.S. Open Cup if they had won it for the fifth time, the season is now more or less over. With three match days remaining, there is no longer any chance of a place in the play-offs.
