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No debating it now: LAFC is the team to beat out West.
After losing El Trafico 2-1 at the Rose Bowl a year ago, the Black and Gold celebrated a more enjoyable Fourth of July on this trip around the sun as they enacted revenge on rivals LA Galaxy with an identical 2-1 scoreline in Pasadena.
With the victory, LAFC extended their club-record unbeaten streak to 12 games (including 11 wins) while boosting themselves three points clear of the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake atop the Western Conference table.
In what may be the final edition of the Fourth of July El Trafico with San Diego FC joining the league next season, Los Angeles showed up for their clubs with 70,076 fans packing out the historic football stadium to follow up their MLS record-setting attendance of 82,110 in this fixture last season. Beyond the fireworks on the field (or those after the match), these games offer a moment of reflection on just how far soccer has come, both in the country and the city.
#LAGalaxy joins Atlanta United as the only teams to have multiple 70k+ attendance games in MLS
— Justin Ruderman (@JustinRuderman_) July 5, 2024
“It’s great to just see the sport in general growing to where we can pack the Rose Bowl…The fact that we’re bringing people out to these games, you can see the genuine passion and love they have for the sport,” shared Lakewood native and Galaxy homegrown Jalen Neal. “Soccer wasn’t the biggest sport in my area growing up but now to see almost everyone I know when I go to a Galaxy game now, or an LAFC game, or Angel City game, it’s having a huge impact on the city.”
The game, of course, has its own impact.
Though the scoreline may indicate a close match, the first half was nothing of the sort. LAFC made Galaxy look like anything but the second-place team they entered as by cleverly conceding possession, giving their opponents a false sense of security as they created the more dangerous chances through their deadly…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/07/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-lafc-cement-top-dog-status-in-the-west
Author : Justin Ruderman
Publish date : 2024-07-05 15:00:00
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