TAKEAWAYS | The Less Said, The Better
Let's put it this way: A tropical storm was the Moment of the Match.
Do we have to talk about it? We’re already here anyway, so I guess we should.
Not all 0-0 draws are created equal. Some are great. I swear! Although you wouldn’t know it from what occurred in Chester on Saturday night.
It wasn’t just a bad 0-0 draw, it was epically bad:
The short translation of that table: no goals, not even any real chances.
The technical translation: that was a shit game.
The weather was definitely a factor - congrats to Tropical Storm Ophelia on being named the Moment of the Match. Lineup rotations also played a part. As did LAFC’s change in formation.
LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo set his team up with three in the back and three transition-ready attackers. His wingbacks stifled the Union’s ability to use the wide areas to send dangerous crosses. At the same time, the aggressive centerback trio and central midfield pairing of Kellyn Acosta and Timothy Tillman stepped into vertical passing lanes and cleaned up second balls.
In the first half, LAFC forced Philly into enough errors to create something when it tried to play forward quickly. But the lack of composure, cohesion, and sharpness in the final third resulted in zero shots.
Add a dash of confusing, and frankly, poor refereeing decisions and that’s about all you got from that match. If you didn’t watch, consider yourself totally caught up.
After its most challenging road trip in terms of opponent position, this is where LAFC stands:
2nd in the Western Conference by way of goal differential
2 points clear of 4th (home-field advantage)
6 points clear of 9th (final playoff spot)
LAFC’s Playoff Magic Number: 5
Whoo! That’s a tight table. And three of LAFC’s final four opponents in the regular season are within seven points of the Black & Gold. So, hold on to your butts! It’s going to come down to the wire.
And that is all I have to say about that.
In my best effort to be positive I’ll say on the plus side LAFC showed that they can secure a clean sheet when circumstances are against them. With the new playoff format that could be helpful.
These days every game is it’s own adventure. No goals but 2 points in 2 roads games - it could be worse I guess. At this point might as well just hope for the best. A little football fan wisdom from the Bible - “a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17).