TAKEAWAYS | Dénis Will Not Be Denied
Bouanga scores in stoppage time for the second straight match; LAFC rescues three points against the Timbers.
Welcome back, Max. It was great to see you in LA again. We’ve missed you.
And you almost had us.
Maxime Crépeau made the most of his time back at BMO Stadium. Eight saves should have been enough.
In the 90 + 2 minute, Kei Kamara rose above the Timbers defenders at the center of the box. Kamara’s header from point blank range had history - Kamara is one goal shy of second on the MLS all-time scorers list - and three points written all over it. If not for Crépeau’s two-handed push that would have been the headline.
Dénis Bouanga wasn’t on screen for that eighth save. Just as quickly as he arrived, he was out of view again. This time, he was heading to the corner flag to celebrate a victory sealed. The sound of the ball caroming off the post and into the back of the net was the thunder to Bouanga’s lightning-quick shot.
Like I said, Max… you almost had us.
Here are the Takeaways from LAFC’s dramatic 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers:
Up The Tempo
Have a look at this:
What did you see? Probably, the pinpoint cross-field pass from Bouaga. Or the great save by Crépeau on Cristian Olivera. But let’s simplify it even more. And from the beginning.
Eduard Atuesta recovers a wayward pass from the Timbers in LAFC’s defensive third. The Colombian wants to go fast. He takes one look upfield, then another, before playing a simple pass to the feet of Mateusz Bogusz about 12 yards away.
Bogusz, in the center circle with a bit of pressure and his back to goal, follows up one simple pass with another. Atuesta creates an angle to receive and sends a one-touch pass laterally to Timothy Tillman. Finally, Tillman plays the ball into the feet of Bouanga standing 30-yards upfield in the Timbers half.
Four passes. Eights touches. Less than ten seconds between Atuesta recovering the ball and Bouanga receiving the pass in the attacking third. This is tempo. And it’s slowly finding its way into LAFC’s game model.
The first half against Portland was probably the best version of LAFC so far this season. The Black & Gold were balanced. They went fast when they could. They also strung together sequences like the one above to create chances. Most importantly, they were connected as a unit.
We know LAFC can play fast. We know LAFC can play direct. But the avenues to play that way aren’t always open. When you play direct, you’re relying on one player to make a difference, and hoping the team can catch up. When you play with tempo the match is under your control.
It’s no coincidence that with the return of tempo to LAFC’s game, we also saw the counterpress level up. The bulk of LAFC’s possession in the first half was its ability to quickly react to turnovers and win loose balls. It’s a lot easier to succeed when the team is closer together and the distances to the ball are shorter. So, tempo is both an offensive and defensive weapon.
After the match, Steve Cherundolo spoke about the importance of tempo by highlighting how much his team suffered without it.
“We were very pleased with the first half. That was more of what we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks, trying to attack with control of the game. The only situations we got ourselves into, we kind of created ourselves with two ball losses in the middle of the park. We talked about that at half and I think in the second half what happened, obviously, the opponent has to come out and press the ball a little more. That’s fine. But we made some really poor decisions on the ball, more specifically our attackers and our 8s, trying to go too fast and losing track of staying connected with and without the ball, moving forward as a group, controlling the game again, taking the sting out, taking the tempo out. And those 35 minutes of the second half is not what we want to see.
“It was a step in the wrong direction and that’s what I shared with the guys. I was quite disappointed with it. It’s not professional and totally unnecessary. Too many guys are cheating, being lazy defensively, and not following the rules. And you get yourself into trouble against teams who have attacking pieces who can beat you with shots or set pieces. Not good enough.”
Himothy
Shhhh… don’t say it too loud. Timothy Tillman might be LAFC’s MVP in the first quarter of the season.
Bouanga gets all the attention from the media. But Tillman is quietly putting together a Best XI-caliber season.
Tillman scored his fourth goal of the season on Saturday night. In just ten matches, he’s already matched his total from last season. But it was probably the goal that didn’t count that demonstrated Tillman’s value to this team.
Yes, it was a handball and correctly called back. But can we just take a moment to admire Tillman’s ability to work out of a tight space, drive forward, hold off Diego Chara, and then cut out the entire Portland backline with an exquisitely weighted through ball to Bauanga for the finish.
This is the type of thing Tillman has been doing all season for LAFC. It’s reminiscent of the breakout season Cifu had in 2022.
Tillman is that all-action midfielder. He’s good with the ball at his feet. He helps in the buildup. And he’s a late runner into the box to finish off plays for LAFC.
Not Brian
If you’ve already made up your mind on Cristian Olivera, that’s fine. I’m probably not going to change your mind.
I’m pretty firm on this though. He has all the tools. Elite speed and acceleration. Excellent 1v1 ability. A great work rate. But he’s lacking a final product.
For a player who just turned 22 this month, I’m ok with that. Players in their early 20s who already know how to score don’t come to MLS. They go straight to Europe. So, you take a chance on a guy that you think can add that to his game. It’s coming along slowly but there are definitely signs.
Olivera’s assist to Tillman was a good sign.
The winger accelerates into the Timbers box where he knows his Claudio Bravo has to be perfect. He gains a slight edge but instead of taking the chance of clattering his cross into the defender, as he’s done many times before, he pulls up. They say it’s when the game slows down for players that they reach another level. This was Olivera literally slowing himself down before laying off a perfect pass to an onrushing Tillman.
But I want to point out one more thing. Something that goes unnoticed at times with players and is the biggest reason Olivera is NOT the new Brian Rodriguez. And it’s simple.
It’s this run on the own goal.
You wouldn’t be too far off in saying Olivera forces Miller into that own goal. Sprinting from the opposite wing, Olivera has a tap-in if Miller doesn’t intercede. And that’s it! That’s the difference between Olivera and Rodriguez.
The two countrymen might look similar on the ball but it’s a world of difference off it. Olivera is an optimist. He’ll run to areas where the ball might arrive. Rodriguez seemed uninterested if the ball wasn’t at his feet. But it’s not about “right place, right time” as much as it’s about being there all the time.
Any young player who understands that and is willing to put in those extra runs will eventually be rewarded with goals.
Don’t have too much to add, I think you nailed it. Back to back weeks where LAFC delivered for the home fans in extra time. Probably not the best long term strategy, but it does make for a fun fan experience. Also, a reminder that whatever players are added in the Summer LAFC should still try to secure as many playoff home games as possible.
Vince if you had Thor's year, what players/player attributes would you advocate for?