The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) advanced to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers on Tuesday night at Banc of California Stadium. Cristian Arango and Mamadou Fall scored on either side of halftime while Maxime Crépeau made six saves to earn the clean sheet.
Arango scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 32nd minute when he got on the end of a Kwadwo Opoku cross and deftly flicked it past the Portland goalkeeper at the near post to give his team a 1-0 lead. Nine minutes into the second half, Fall made the score 2-0 with his second goal in all competitions this year and his first in the Open Cup.
The Black & Gold return to MLS action on Saturday, May 14 when they travel to take on the Colorado Rapids. That game will kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast nationally on Univision, TUDN and locally ESPN 710 AM, and 980 AM La Mera La Mera.
NEWS & NOTES:
- LAFC is now 9-1-2 in all competions this season, including 6-0-2 at Banc of California Stadium.
- Dating back to last season, LAFC is now undefeated in its last 11 home games in all competitions, going 8-0-3 in that time.
- In 12 games in 2022, LAFC has scored two or more goals 10 times. The club has outscored its opponents 30-11 this year.
- LAFC has now reached the Round of 16 in each of its three entires to the U.S. Open Cup. The club made the semifinals of the competition in 2018 and the quarterfinals in 2019. The Open Cup was not played in 2020 or 2021.
- This was the third time that the Timbers and LAFC met in the Open Cup with LAFC knocking Portland out in the 2018 quarterfinals and the Timbers returning the favor in the 2019 quarterfinals.
- The Black and Gold are now 7-1-0 all-time at home in the Open Cup, outscoring opponents 18-7 in those eight games.
- In nine all-time Open Cup matches, LAFC have scored two or more goals eight times.
- Cristian Arango now has a team-best three Open Cup goals this season, including the game-winning goal in each of LAFC’s two wins.
- Arango’s three Open Cup goals are tied for the second most in club history. Diego Rossi has the most Open Cup goals for LAFC all-time with six.
- Kwadwo Opoku now has a goal or an assist in each of his last two games, tallying a goal and an assist in that time.
- Mamadou Fall’s second half goal was his second in all competitions this season. Both have come against the Timbers and both have been scored in front of the 3252.
- LAFC now have three shutouts in its Open Cup history, all three have come in the Round of 32 (formerly known as the Fourth Round.)
- LAFC will discover its opponent for the Round of 16, as well as the date and time of that game, following the conclusion of the Open Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday night.
