LAFC played the New England Revolution to a 1-1 draw on Jan. 29 at Banc of California Stadium. The 2021 Supporter’s Shield winning Revolution struck first, getting a goal from Adam Buksa just before halftime, but after wholesale changes for both teams in the second half, LAFC evened the match late in the game when Bruce El-Mesmari, who played for the Las Vegas Lights last season, was brought down in the box and Mamadou Fall calmly powered the penalty kick past the New England keeper to finish the match 1-1.
“It was just day one as far as preseason matches go,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “But I’m happy at the end with the result - getting a point after going down 1-0. That speaks to effort, and we’re happy with that.”
VELA MAKES AN IMPACT
After putting together one of the most dominant MLS seasons in league history in 2019, LAFC’s Carlos Vela was not the same player in 2020 and 2021 as he battled numerous injuries and ailments that limited him to just 27 regular season games in the last two years, where he scored only nine combined MLS goals.
The 32-year-old Mexican superstar is looking to make an impact for the Black & Gold once again and impressed his new coach in his 45 minutes of action vs. New England.
“It was great to see Carlos out there today,” Cherundolo said. “He is a player who can change games with his technical ability. You saw it again today, his passing, his vision and his ability to combine and we saw that. We also saw somebody who was physically able to press in moments, so that is a fantastic starting point. I’m really looking forward to keeping him in the mix and out on the training field every single day of preseason.”
STEVE VS THE BRUCE
Considered one of the most talented defenders to ever play for the United States, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo made his mark playing for the U.S. by appearing on three World Cup rosters. In many of those games, he was coached by Bruce Arena, who guided the U.S. National Team from 1998-2006 in his first stint as coach. It was Arena who gave Cherundolo his first international cap, when he played 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw with Jamaica in 1999. And it was also Arena who had Cherundolo on the 2002 U.S. World Cup roster and had Cherundolo play in all three games at the 2006 World Cup.
It was fitting then, that for the first match of Cherundolo’s MLS coaching career, Arena would be there on the sideline, sharing the coaching box as the head coach of the Revolution. The all-time winningest coach in MLS history, Arena is often referred to as a mentor and huge influence by Cherundolo.
“It is wonderful to see Bruce always,” Cherundolo said. “He’s a fantastic coach and an important coach in my career, so to share the sideline with him today was a pretty cool feeling and pretty special. But it was also something that felt pretty natural. He is somebody who I always saw on the field, and somebody who is a great coach, so it was very natural for me and it was special to see a lot of friendly faces out there.”
MOON IN THE MIDFIELD
Kim Moon-Hwan arrived in Los Angeles from Korea known as a defender. The quick and cutting Moon had enjoyed success in the K-League and for the Korean National Team as an outside back, and he appeared in 27 games for LAFC last season mostly playing out of the defense.
But that changed for Moon in the first preseason match of 2022 under Cherundolo. The 26-year-old Moon lined up in the midfield to start the match, playing a more central role along with Pancho Ginella and Danny Crisostomo. The Black & Gold were missing midfielders like Kellyn Acosta (U.S. National Team), Jose Cifuentes (Ecuador National Team), Latif Blessing (injury) and Ilie Sanchez (injury) against the Revolution, and it was Moon who more than capably filled the role, showcasing a deft touch and ability to push into the attacking zone.
“I would love to point out the play of Moon,” Cherundolo said. “He had an excellent 45 minutes for us in a new position, and that is an exciting option moving forward.”
SECOND HALF CHANGES
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, both LAFC and New England made wholesale substitutions for the second half. It was the first opportunity for LAFC fans to watch a few players who are not currently signed with LAFC, such as Alex Villanueva, Frank Daroma, Alvaro Quezada, Jorge Almaguer and Bruce El-Mesmari, take the field. 2021 LAFC SuperDraft selection Danny Trejo also saw action in the second half for the Black & Gold.
“I thought the effort was fantastic,” Cherundolo said about the group that played in the second half and evened the score on a late penalty kick. “I think the positioning could be better at times, and that is mostly due to the increase in tempo and speed of play they had to deal with today, but the more exposure they can get to the higher speed and level of play they will only get better. It was a learning experience for them.”
Mahala Opoku, who missed the majority of 2021 for LAFC due to a knee injury returned to the pitch vs. New England, impressing in the final 45 minutes.
“Obviously Mahala was very bright and had some great moments,” Cherundolo said. “We know what he can do and we are happy to have him back at full strength.”
DEFENSIVE SHAPE
In their first game, Cherundolo wanted LAFC to focus on two things: regaining fitness and maintaining defensive shape.
Overall, he felt like it was a successful first step.
“We created some chances and let in some chances,” Cherundolo said. “I think all in all, it was a day when it was all about gaining knowledge about the group and observing how we moved in certain phases of the game, so we will take a lot out of this game and from that aspect it was a very successful day.”
After allowing a goal just before halftime and several other good chances, Cherundolo expects the team to continue working on defensive positioning.
“Today was about defensive shape and organization,” Cherundolo said. “I think we have lots to go on off of this game - some good and some bad. It was predominantly good, but I think our defensive shape is what we will focus on from this game and as we press forward.”
