Steve Cherundolo believes Los Angeles FC's home fans can play a decisive role in the MLS Cup Playoffs as last season's runners-up prepare to host the Vancouver Whitecaps.
LAFC sealed the Western Conference's top seed in dramatic fashion last week, pipping the LA Galaxy after their cross-city rivals suffered a last-gasp defeat to the Houston Dynamo.
Cherundolo's men – who were beaten by the Columbus Crew in last season's MLS Cup final – play host to wild-card side Vancouver in the opener of a three-match series on Sunday, and he believes home advantage could be key.
"We are always really focused on the next play and doing our jobs, and our jobs are to win games, to collect points and to be there if the other teams slip up," Cherundolo said.
"That's what happened, and when you do stay close to teams and don't let them run away with it, the pressure can mount up."
Touching on the impact of playing at home, he added: "Our crowd is like nothing else I've seen live in LA, it's pure passion, it's electrifying and it really has the ability to make our players better.
"We're trying to make memories and the fans are integral part of that. For us to be able to make another long or deep run in the playoffs, we need them."
Vancouver reached this stage by trouncing the Portland Timbers 5-0 in the wild-card round, equalling the second-largest margin of victory in playoff history.
"Everything went in our direction, it was possible because of the work rate of everyone," head coach Vanni Sartini said, reflecting on that comprehensive road win.
"Hopefully from now on it's going to be about improving and getting the team in that rhythm.
"Playing in LA is always really hard so we have a goal as a team to go there and be in their face and be aggressive, because we have a second chance even if it doesn't go well."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Los Angeles FC – Denis Bouanga
Bouanga has scored seven goals in eight appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
His figure of 0.84 goals per 90 minutes in the postseason is the second-best of any player that has played 500 or more playoff minutes in MLS history (Carlos Ruiz – 0.87).
Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld
Gauld scored the seventh hat-trick in MLS playoff history against Portland on Wednesday and the first by a Whitecaps player.
It marked the second hat-trick by a Whitecaps player against a Cascadia rival in an MLS match (including playoffs) after Kekuta Manneh scored three for Vancouver against the Seattle Sounders in October 2013.
MATCH PREDICTION – LOS ANGELES FC WIN
This will be the third knockout tie between Los Angeles and Vancouver with LAFC sweeping each of the previous two.
LAFC won both legs by a combined scoreline of 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League before eliminating the Whitecaps in two games in the first round of last year's playoffs.
The hosts have also won six straight playoff matches against Western Conference opponents, outscoring them 15-5 en route to the last two MLS Cup Finals.
The only longer in-conference playoff winning streak in MLS history (excluding breakaway shootout wins) was a seven-match run by Seattle between 2018 and 2020.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Los Angeles FC – 64.1%
Vancouver Whitecaps – 16.7%
Draw – 19.2%
2024 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Six-A-Side Football Competition kicks off with community unity and exciting matches
The 2024 Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Six-A-Side “Peace Through Sports” Football Competition kicked off on Sunday, uniting Waterhouse and neighboring communities at the Red Stripe headquarters on Spanish Town Road. Organized by the Pocket Rocket Foundation, the event aims to foster peace through sport, creating a space for community building and camaraderie.
The opening ceremony featured a vibrant dress parade, with Basement taking the top spot for best-dressed team, followed by Friends For Real in second place and Boom Riddim in third. This year also marked the first time Corporate Jamaica was invited to field teams, highlighting the tournament's growing influence as a platform for positive community engagement.
The day’s matches saw Ball Spot claim a 3-1 victory over Basic, while Legacy edged past Boom Riddim in a tight 3-2 match. The fixture between Fesgas and Youths United ended in a scoreless draw, showcasing strong defense. In another close game, Friends For Real earned a 1-0 win against Basement.
Ashoka delivered an impressive performance, defeating Dream Team 4-1, while Real City closed out the day with a narrow 1-0 victory over tournament hosts Red Stripe.
The competition, part of Fraser-Pryce’s ongoing commitment to community development, reinforces the power of sports as a unifying force and a way to promote peace among communities.
LAFC edge out Vancouver as Orlando take the advantage against Charlotte
Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera were on target as Los Angeles FC edged out the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on Sunday.
LAFC, the 2022 MLS Cup champions, will book their place in the next round should they win north of the border next week.
Ryan Gauld netted in the 94th minute for the Whitecaps, but it was too little, too late for the Canadian side, who hammered the Portland Timbers in the wildcard round.
LAFC have now won seven straight playoff games against Western Conference opponents, while Bouanga has netted eight goals in nine postseason appearances.
Hugo Lloris, however, says LAFC must sharpen up.
"The performance is not [good] enough, but we got the result so that's the most important thing," Lloris said.
"We need to increase [our levels] if we want to have ambition. A win is a win, so that's positive, but there were things we need to fix if we are to improve."
Elsewhere, Orlando City also made a winning start to their playoff campaign as they beat Charlotte FC 2-0.
Facundo Torres put Orlando ahead in the 32nd minute at Inter&Co Stadium, with Martin Ojeda doubling the hosts' tally 14 minutes from time.
A frustrating day for Dean Smith's Charlotte team was compounded when Pep Biel was sent off late on, though they will at least have home advantage when they look to turn the best-of-three series around next time out.
Simeone shoulders responsibility for Atletico defeat
Diego Simeone took full responsibility for Atletico Madrid's disappointing performance after their unbeaten LaLiga run ended with a 1-0 loss at Real Betis on Sunday.
Atleti failed to recover from Jose Maria Gimenez's fourth-minute own goal and wasted the few chances they created in a game riddled with errors that the coach blamed on himself.
Hosts Betis had 24 shots to Atleti's 10, albeit both teams only got three attempts on target.
Simeone, though, accepted Atleti were not up to standard, as his team lost their 24th game in all competitions in 2024, which is their joint-worst total in a calendar year under the Argentine's tutelage.
"I didn't prepare this match well. I am responsible for the plan not working," said Simeone, whose side lost 3-1 to Lille in the Champions League in midweek.
"Starting with myself first, we have work to do and things to improve. I didn't imagine anything different. The new players need to keep adapting, and I need to get more out of their strengths.
"Betis are a competitive team who have improved as they showed today, they outplayed us. We clearly couldn't play our game.
"This happened to us against Lille last week, we fell behind in the game and that didn't allow us to level this game.
"Ultimately, as a coach, I have to resolve these situations first and have a clear idea (of tactics) so that the players can perform in the way I like."
Atleti's first defeat of the season leaves them fourth in the Spanish top flight on 20 points, two clear of Betis and ten behind leaders Barcelona.
They face UE Vic in the Copa del Rey on Thursday before hosting Las Palmas in LaLiga three days later.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
