Lee Nguyen and Diego Rossi scored in the second half for LAFC, leading the home side to a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids Sunday night.
The three points for LAFC pulled them into a second-place tie in the West with Sporting Kansas City on 42 points. LAFC won their second straight game after going winless in the previous five.
After Nguyen's highlight-reel goal, the Rapids pressed for a tie in the second half with several chances but were turned away, only to watch Rossi fire in a right-footed shot on the run in the 80th minute. Colorado saw a three-match unbeaten streak come to an end.
The moment of the first half came when replays appeared to show a handball in the box against Rapids defender Danny Wilson, on a volley from LAFC's Benny Feilhaber in stoppage time. No call came and no VAR followed, resulting in a scoreless draw at halftime.
Goals
- 49' – LAFC – Lee Nguyen
- 80' – LAFC – Diego Rossi
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: A stretch of five matches in 15 days across all competitions came to an end Sunday for LAFC. It wasn't the most successful of stretches but it ended on a winning note, which is key with a Rivalry Week showdown with the LA Galaxy set for Friday night. The Rapids were plagued by mistakes on the defensive end, but can regenerate with only two counting matches over the next three weeks. It was a nice effort from Jack McBean, who just missed scoring a goal on a couple of occasions.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The quickness and spin move by Nguyen in traffic, and then the expert finish, was the highlight of the night.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Five saves for LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller in a clean sheet, but he got solid help from his backline led by the hard-nosed play of Danilo Silva. The Brazilian gets the nod for being physical against the Rapids' attackers and for this play, which saved a goal when it was 1-0.
Up Next
- LAFC: Friday, August 24 at LA Galaxy
- COL: Saturday, August 25 vs Real Salt Lake
