Steve Cherundolo stated his pride in Los Angeles FC's defence and hopes they can put in another big performance against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
LAFC have won their last three games in all competitions, starting with their US Open Cup win over Sporting KC before getting back on track in MLS.
They are second in the Western Conference with three games left, with their 1-0 win over St. Louis City, in which they did not concede a single shot on target, closing the gap to LA Galaxy.
Cherundolo lauded his defenders for that performance and is pleased to see their training sessions paying off.
"It's great to see we're growing and learning in certain situations and putting all the pieces together," Cherundolo said.
"The defensive side of the game is something we train a lot and take pride in. When our defenders have enough minutes together and continuity, we're quite good.
"They've done extremely well and adapted amazingly by applying their lessons from training into the matches."
Meanwhile, Kansas City will not be playing in the postseason as they sit 13th after just one win in their last five, losing 3-1 to St. Louis last time out.
However, head coach Peter Vermes has challenged his side to finish the regular season on a high.
"I'd like to win both games. This isn't like handing out free passes to go and play," Vermes said.
"Being in this spot isn't normal for our club, but I'm not changing the way I pick the team. We've still got two games to play, and we'll give it everything we have to make it tough."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sporting Kansas City – Stephen Afrifa
Despite dominating against St. Louis last time out, Kansas City failed to get a win, though Stephen Afrifa ensured they did not fire a blank.
He scored their only goal after having six shots, four of which were on target, while also having nine touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the pitch.
LAFC – Denis Bouanga
There is no doubt who has been one of the star performers for LAFC this season, with Denis Bouanga scoring 19 goals in MLS so far.
He does not just score goals though, as he can also dictate play – his five chances created against St. Louis last time out were the most of any player in the game.
MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN
Kansas City have failed to win any of the six meetings with LAFC since September 2021 in MLS regular season and have only won four of their 12 matches overall against the club.
This will be the third meeting between the sides this season, with their previous MLS meeting ending in a 0-0 draw, before LAFC beat them 3-1 in extra time to clinch the US Open Cup final last month.
That win over Sporting in the final started a three-match winning streak for LAFC, who were winless in their five games prior to that run.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Sporting Kansas City – 28.8%
Draw – 24.5%
LAFC – 46.8%
Burnley 1-1 Middlesbrough: Dijksteel strike denies hosts top spot
Middlesbrough denied Burnley a chance to go top of the Championship table by holding them to a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.
Scott Parker's side could have put pressure on Sheffield United with a win, but now find themselves one point behind the leaders, who face West Brom on Sunday.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when Daniel Barlaser released Anfernee Dijksteel, with the Middlesbrough right-back dinking cleverly over James Trafford.
But Burnley drew level before the interval when Connor Roberts' looped strike from distance caught Seny Dieng off his line.
Burnley's hopes of building on the equaliser after the break did not materialise as Boro created the better chances, with Tommy Conway and Delano Burgzorg denied by Trafford early in the second half.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, sit in fifth place and are one point above Watford, who have a game in hand.
Data Debrief: Burnley defence finally breached
Burnley had kept a clean sheet in each of their last five Championship matches heading into this contest, but that run was brought to an end by Michael Carrick's side on Friday.
Parker's team attempted 15 shots in the game, which was five more than their opponents, but only managed an expected goals (xG) total of 0.67, while Boro managed an xG of 0.88.
However, the Clarets are still unbeaten in six league matches (W4 D2) and have the best defence in the league - conceding just seven goals in 19 matches. The result also meant that they are now unbeaten in their last six league meetings against Boro (W3 D3).
Inzaghi lauds Martinez display despite missed chances in Parma triumph
Simone Inzaghi showered praise on Inter captain Lautaro Martinez's display in their 3-1 win over Parma on Friday, despite the Argentine failing to find the back of the net.
Inter extended their unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions with their latest victory, with Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella and Marcus Thuram on target.
But it proved to be a frustrating night for Martinez, who saw a chance to score Inter's fourth from the penalty spot snatched from his grasp following a review by VAR.
The Argentine ended the contest having registered more shots (three) and the joint-most touches in the opposition box (five), while also accumulating a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 0.77 to Inter's 2.31 total.
But Inzaghi lauded Martinez's overall display at the San Siro, which saw only Alessandro Bastoni (nine) compete in more duels than his captain (seven).
"He's hugely important. His recovery play at the end was a great signal," Inzaghi said.
"As a former striker, I understand the pressure of scoring, but he needs to stay calm and keep helping the team like that. The goals will come, they always do for him."
The only blemish on Inter's display was Matteo Darmian's late own-goal, with the former Manchester United defender turning into his own net nine minutes from time.
Only Juventus (eight), Napoli (nine), Fiorentina (10) and Empoli (14) have conceded more goals than Inter (15) in Serie A this term, leaving Inzaghi frustrated at the way his side let in a needless goal at full-time.
"I'm very satisfied with what the lads achieved. We showed aggression and focus against a team that has been playing really well. I’m very happy," Inzaghi said.
"The only downside was the goal we conceded. It wasn’t deserved. If I had to pick one thing to criticise, it would be that.
"But overall, I’m very happy with the team’s performance."
Up next for Inter is an away trip to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, before returning to league action against Lazio six days later.
Their fixture against Leverkusen starts a run of five games in 18 days, and Inzaghi insisted that every member of his squad would be needed for the upcoming games.
"I’ve got 25 players, including goalkeepers, and I wouldn’t trade them for anyone from another team," he said.
"We've got a demanding schedule ahead, including the Supercoppa. It’ll be tougher for us, but we’ve known that from the start."
Atalanta 2-1 Milan: Lookman late show propels hosts to Serie A summit
Atalanta climbed to the top of the Serie A table after Ademola Lookman struck late to secure a 2-1 win against Milan at the Gewiss Stadium.
Only moments after being denied a winner by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Lookman arrived unmarked at the far post to nod in a corner in the 87th minute to seal a hard-fought win.
With 34 points from 15 matches, Tullio Gritti's side are now two points clear of second-placed Napoli, who will play Lazio at home on Sunday.
Charles De Ketelaere scored against his former club to put Atalanta ahead in the 12th minute, rising highest to head home Marten de Roon's free-kick.
But Milan struck back 10 minutes later when Rafael Leao's cross into the box was turned home by Alvaro Morata for his fourth league goal of the season.
The second half was an evenly contested affair, with both sides creating several chances before Lookman struck the decisive blow to leave Paulo Fonseca's side seventh in the table.
Data Debrief: Atalanta's dream run continues
The win against the Rossoneri was Atalanta's ninth consecutive victory in Serie A this season, matching the club record set between February and July 2020.
They have also now scored at least two goals in each of their last 12 home games in Serie A, becoming the first team to do so after Juventus between November 2006 and January 2008.
Only Barcelona (48) have scored more than Atalanta's 38 goals in the five major European Leagues this season.
Lookman's winner was his 11th Serie A goal of the season, and he has been involved in 18 goals in his last 18 league games, also bagging seven assists.
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