With two goals from striker Denis Bouanga, LAFC beat the San José Earthquakes 4-1 and eliminated them in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup, while the Los Angeles team advanced to meet the Sounders next Saturday in Seattle (5 pm, Apple TV) in the quarterfinals of this tournament.
Uruguay’s Cristian Olivera scored in the 17th minute, while Argentina’s Hernán López tied the game in the 41st minute. Bouanga then put the home side back in front from the penalty spot just before half-time, while Poland’s Mateusz Bogusz in the 61st minute and Bouanga in the 66th added two more in the second half.
LAFC continued its impressive run in the Leagues Cup after eliminating Austin FC in the previous round and qualifying first in the group stage, ahead of Tijuana and Vancouver.
LAFC took the lead in the 17th minute through Oliveira, who received the ball inside the box and finished with power after a futile attempt by Mexican William Yarbrough.
At 41, Argentine Hernán López made it 1-1 by taking advantage of a cross from the right and finishing with first intention to tie the game.
Just as the match was heading into half-time, Eduard Atuesta was brought down inside the box by Yarbrough and the match referee awarded a penalty, which was taken by Bouanga to make it 2-1.
“I thought we played well, we deserved that goal before halftime, unfortunately we gave that goal up too quickly,” San Jose interim coach Ian Russell said. “You can’t make mistakes against teams like LAFC.”
In the second half, Bogusz, known for his great long and medium-range shots, contributed another quality goal with the complicity of Yarbrough who shot from long distance but the Mexican goalkeeper attacked the ball poorly and it went into the back of the net.
Shortly after, in the 64th minute, Bouanga broke away and scored to make it 4-1.
With the match already decided, Frenchman Olivier Giroud entered the game in the 71st minute, although he did not have much participation in the match.
LAFC signed the Frenchman in May, though he was not announced until August 2. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was at the stadium for the 2-0 win over Austin FC in the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup on Wednesday.
“I wanted to play this match, on this pitch, in front of my family,” Giroud said after the match. “I felt welcomed by my family. I would like to play more today.”
Giroud said he arrived around 10 days ago and needed to regain his fitness and train hard, as well as get to know his teammates better.
“Today’s minutes were calculated, regardless of the result. It’s basically preseason for him, we have to get him playing,” said Steve Cherundolo, LAFC coach.
If he does play, Giroud would be playing his first match on artificial turf since his arrival in American football.
“I’m not used to playing on artificial turf, but it’s not a problem,” said Giroud.
LAFC will now travel to Seattle to face the Sounders in the quarterfinals of the tournament, in what would be an early final of the tournament since both are favorites to win. The Seattle team is coming off a 4-0 win over Pumas on Monday night and previously also eliminated the Galaxy from the tournament by beating them 3-1.
“They are a very well-trained team. They don’t like to lose. These will be intense games, it’s a game for the players who make the difference,” Cherundolo added.
For San Jose, it will mark a return to MLS, where it has very little chance of making the playoffs, as it is in last place in the West and is the worst team in the league.
“The guys are going to be playing for their jobs, we’re going to be evaluating them,” Russell explained.
LAFC announced attendance at 14,911.
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This article was first published in Los Angeles Times in Spanish.
