SANDY, Utah -- For a team that has spent much of the season being defined by its defense, LAFC is finding that its biggest problem at the wrong time of the year may be keeping the ball out of its own net.
The Black & Gold had another chance Saturday to turn its position near the top of the Western Conference into some breathing room. Instead, a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake at America First Field extended LAFC's winless run to five MLS matches, leaving a team that is still sitting third in the West wondering how many more points it can afford to leave behind.
Marc Dos Santos knew the match was going to open up. LAFC's three-man back line was designed in part to take advantage of RSL's struggles in transition, and for stretches, it worked exactly as intended. The problem was what happened when LAFC had to defend those same open **** es.
"Sometimes the game was a little bit too open," Dos Santos said. "It benefited us more than in the offensive phase, but it was sometimes difficult in the defensive phase that we have to be more compact at moments."
That lack of compactness showed up early.
#open
The Black & Gold had another chance Saturday to turn its position near the top of the Western Conference into some breathing room. Instead, a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake at America First Field extended LAFC's winless run to five MLS matches, leaving a team that is still sitting third in the West wondering how many more points it can afford to leave behind.
Marc Dos Santos knew the match was going to open up. LAFC's three-man back line was designed in part to take advantage of RSL's struggles in transition, and for stretches, it worked exactly as intended. The problem was what happened when LAFC had to defend those same open **** es.
"Sometimes the game was a little bit too open," Dos Santos said. "It benefited us more than in the offensive phase, but it was sometimes difficult in the defensive phase that we have to be more compact at moments."
That lack of compactness showed up early.
#open
8 days ago
