Carlos Vela leads LAFC to Supporters' Shield victory
LAFC lifted its first-ever major trophy after beating Houston Dynamo 3-1 with goals from Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi, and Eduardo Atuesta.
The Banc of California Stadium opened its doors on Thursday with fans expectant of seeing LAFC get back on track with Bob Bradley's side looking to arrest a run of five consecutive games without victory.
Carlos Vela and company not only achieved that with a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo but also wrapped up the Supporters' Shield trophy for LAFC with two games remaining in the regular season and left Bradley’s side just four points away from breaking the MLS single-season record, which currently belongs to New York Red Bulls and their haul of 71 points last season.
This has been a season for the history books for the LA-based side, with Bradley winning his first Supporters' Shield as a coach and LAFC being the first team to reach the post-season. Now they will look to continue rewriting the record books with LAFC four goals behind the record of 85, set in 1998 by LA Galaxy; Bradley’s side already boast the best goal difference in MLS history with 46.
LAFC have also clinched a first-round bye and won't be required to play an away game in the 2019 MLS Cup play-offs after winning the Supporters’ Shield.
Carlos Vela strikes again
The LAFC captain netted his goal 30th of the season against Houston, taking him to within a single strike of Josef Martínez’s single-season record of 31, set in 2018, and two goals short of surpassing the Atlanta United striker’s mark for the current campaign.