“Traditionally, Texas hasn’t been a positive place for us.”
You can say that again.
Steve Cherundolo knows his history. Last season, his first as LAFC head coach, Cherundolo’s side lost every match it played in Texas. LAFC was outscored 8-3 in those three matches.
Saturday night’s contest against FC Dallas was LAFC’s second match in Texas in 2023. Again, Cherundolo’s side came up empty. So far, the Black & Gold have been outscored 6-0 in the Lone Star state this season. We must go back 619 days to find the last time LAFC took all three points in a match in Texas – a 3-2 win over FC Dallas on Oct. 20, 2021.
To be fair, it’s not just an LAFC problem. Texas teams rarely lose at home in the MLS regular season. Through 20 league matches hosted in Texas, the three Texas sides have lost just six times – one of which was Houston beating Austin. So, most MLS teams outside of the Lone Star state don’t think of Texas in a positive light, either.
But with a week to prepare for an opponent for the first time in over a month, Cherundolo’s disappointment with the 2-0 loss in Dallas was evident after the match.
“Just didn’t defend a long throw-in and that’s it,” Cherundolo said. “I can’t recall any other chance other than the goal late from Dallas. That’s it.
“And unfortunately, that was enough to beat us tonight.”
Here are the Takeaways from another LAFC defeat in Texas:
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Prepping A Game Plan
What does a week of preparation get you? Well, a formation change for starters.
Like many of you, I was a bit surprised by the tweaks Cherundolo and his staff made to LAFC’s shape against FC Dallas. Initially, it looked like the standard 4-3-3. The names on the team sheet didn’t necessarily denote anything out of the ordinary. But the 3-4-3 lineup graphic at the top of the Apple TV broadcast was, in fact, correct.
Ryan Hollingshead joined the right side of a center-back trio featuring Denil Maldonado and Giorgio Chiellini, while Chiqui Palacios pushed forward as a left wingback. Probably the biggest surprise was Erik Dueñas manning the opposite wingback spot.
But while a change in shape can mean many things for a team, it shouldn’t be a complete abandonment of the team’s principles. LAFC still wanted to have the ball as much as possible, using quick passes and rotations to move the opponent but being direct when the space behind the opponent was available. They still wanted to win the ball high up the pitch, pressing when they could and counterpressing when they lost possession. And by and large, Cherundolo’s side did that through 56 minutes in Dallas.
The Black & Gold dominated possession. Not just by having the ball for the sake of it; LAFC’s possession was predominantly in the Dallas half. And when Dallas tried to break, LAFC worked quickly and efficiently to win the ball back. Different numbers in the formation, same LAFC.
The club did change some things tactically. But those changes seemed to all be to LAFC’s advantage. Using the width of the field, LAFC progressed the ball primarily in the wide areas. This served two functions: LAFC avoided the defensive midfield pairing of Edwin Cerillo and Facundo Quignon, two of FCD’s stronger players, and limited the number of turnovers in dangerous areas from which Dallas could break on the counter.
In the sweltering Texas heat, and considering the unprecedented physical load LAFC has carried to this point of the season, the game plan made sense in theory. In practice, Cherundolo’s side looked like their week off had been well spent. LAFC had so much control that Alan Velasco, Dallas’ most dangerous available attacker, spent more time defending near his own box than breaking towards LAFC’s.
So, where did it all go wrong?
Sharp In Both Boxes
Football really is a simple sport when you think about it. Score more goals than your opponent over 90 minutes. That’s it. No going for two instead of kicking the extra point. Not a single worry about trading twos for threes. Just score at least one more or concede one less than the other guys.
How do you do that? Again, it seems simple. On the attack, the objective is to get the ball as close to the opponent’s goal as possible. Conversely, keeping the opponent as far away from your goal as possible.
I’m oversimplifying things here, but there’s a reason professionals say things like, “We’ve got to be the better team in both boxes.” Because at the end of the day, if you come out on the plus side in those areas on the pitch, you’re likely to have won.
But LAFC wasn’t the better side in both boxes on Saturday night. FC Dallas was—by just enough.
Despite controlling the match, the Black & Gold created too few big chances in their opponent’s box. And when they did, like Carlos Vela’s pass over the top to Dénis Bouanga, they failed to convert those chances into goals. FC Dallas, meanwhile, used one long throw-in— its only real opportunity most of the match (and not much of one at that)— to put LAFC behind.
Kellyn Acosta called the desperate toe-poke by Bernard Kamunga that gave Dallas its breakthrough goal “a punch in the mouth for us and we were unable to bounce back.” The Black & Gold have absorbed a few blows to the face recently – including and following its loss to Leòn in the Champions League final.
The club’s fate this season rests upon whether it can regain its balance sometime before its next visit to Texas in 2023, when it faces Austin in the second-to-last game of the MLS regular season.
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