MLS
LAFC target historic MLS Cup hat-trick: ‘We have a mission here’
Head coach Steve Cherundolo reflected on his side’s growth this season and their hopes of another championship.
It’s only been six years since LAFC played their first competitive fixture but already the Black and Gold have established themselves as one of the powerhouses of MLS.
Their inaugural fixture back in 2018 saw them take on Seattle Sounders, the team that they will face again in this weekend’s Western Conference semi-final. The Sounders enjoyed a spell of dominance in recent years with MLS Cup wins in 2016 and 2019. Now, it’s LAFC who are looking to make history.
If they win their next two games, LAFC will become the first team since the 2007 New England Revolution to make three consecutive MLS Cup finals. Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s game, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo reflected on this period of success.
“I think it definitely helps to have played in games like this. But if you have not the motivation will be much higher so there’s give and takes,” Cherundolo explained.
“This particular team has experience, has some youth as well. What I really appreciate about this group is that we have different ways to break teams down depending on who we line up and how we work our bench. We have many ways to beat teams.”
Playoff experience could prove crucial for LAFC
Since Cherundolo took charge in January 2022, LAFC have undoubtedly been MLS' most consistent team. They clinched both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in his first season and finished runner-up in MLS Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League in 2023.
This year LAFC have already lifted silverware, the US Open Cup, and made it to the Leagues Cup final. There have been plenty of changes to the squad in the past 12 months but Cherundolo has placed his faith in an experienced core.
“We had five players gone in this international window so there’s a lot of variables that you have to deal with in these longer stretches. But we did it last year so it helps to have gone through it once before. At the end of the day, this is an experienced team with a lot of experienced players who deal with it all really well.”
Just as importantly, LAFC managed to navigate a spate of injuries over the summer and have now welcomed back the likes of Jesús Murillo and Cristian Olivera to the matchday squad. Ahead of Saturday’s game Cherundolo revealed: “Everyone’s healthy, 100%.”
The big mid-season acquisition, Olivier Giroud, has not yet caught fire in Los Angeles but there are no doubts about his quality. The World Cup winner boasts an incredible CV and his experience and eye for a goal could prove decisive in these single-legged elimination games.
‘Check your egos at the front door’
If LAFC can make it back to MLS Cup final for a third championship game in three years, they will join an select group of teams. While the Revs managed that feat from 2005 to 2007, they lost all three. The only other team to have managed three in a row were the DC United team who dominated in the late 1990s, making four consecutive MLS Cup finals and winning three in the first four seasons of the league.
Maintaining motivation, and concentration, across multiple seasons is not easy. LAFC have had to undergo major changes each year as players have moved on, but Cherundolo has kept his team focused on another title.
He explained: “As teams and organisations become more successful the individual accolades, the contracts, the financials, all of that become relevant and maybe warranted. It’s my job - and management’s job - to make sure that those things are taken care of, but also to make sure that we’re all understanding that we have a mission here. We have a journey and a job to do."
In both 2023 and 2024 they suffered wobbles during the regular season, dropping points and seeming to lose focus. However in both years they were able to correct in time and enter the postseason with a real sense of momentum, a belief that they can go all the way.
“We’ve had a couple frank talks with the guys about checking your egos at the front door. We went through a difficult patch when we were really stretched thin in a lot of games with an impossible schedule, and we ended up coming out on top," Cherundolo continued.
“We did that because players were able to put their individual situations aside for the good of the group. As long as I’m here, that will always be the message.”
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