LA Galaxy loses to LAFC: Chicharito and Vanney react
LA Galaxy’s MLS Cup playoff run came to an end on Thursday when they lost 3-2 to LAFC in the Western Conference Semifinals.
It was a tough loss for LA Galaxy, who made it further than they did last season. Their MLS Cup playoff run ended on Thursday after they lost to rivals LAFC in the “El Tráfico” Western Conference Semifinals, 3-2.
It was a close game, which made the loss even harder on LA Galaxy. Denis Bouanga opened the score for LAFC, but Samuel Grandsir hit the equalizer before halftime for a 1-1 score. Just in the 80th minute, Boanga hit another to give LAFC the lead, but LA Galaxy coach decided to bring on Dejan Joveljic, who immediately tied it up yet again with a shot from outside the penalty area. But at the last minute, LAFC’s Cristian Arango hit the decisive winning shot into the top of the net to seal the victory over their rivals.
“Right now, there are no words to describe the pain of losing against your neighbors, the rivalry, at the last minute,” said LA Galaxy striker Javier Hernández, aka Chicharito.
Though it was a difficult loss for LA Galaxy, they had a good season with a record of 18-14-8. It was Chicharito who led the team in goals with 19 scored in 37 appearances (34 starts) across all competitions. This has been their best season since 2019, when they lost in the Conference Semifinals.
“I think our challenge over the last few years was getting this group to be more consistent, which is really what we saw down the stretch from our group,” said Vanney. “But I’d like for us to be competitive and contending.”
“The positive thing is comparing to last season, when we didn’t go to the playoffs,” said Chicharito. “And then we came to the semifinals of the conference, against the best team of the league to this day. So we grew a lot, but for this organization, it’s not enough.”