Los Angeles Football Club leads Best of 3 Series 1-0
The Los Angeles Football Club avoided defeat in both of its visits to BC Place this season, recording a 3-0 win in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals and drawing, 1-1, on October 21. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC had won all four home matches they played against the Los Angeles Football Club from 2019 to 2022.
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have lost two of its last 17 home matches in all competitions after the defeat to the Los Angeles Football Club on April 5, (W8 D7, including two penalty shootout losses). Should the match end in a draw, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC would need to win a penalty shoot-out to survive, something they’ve done once in four tries at home in their MLS era.
The Los Angeles Football Club has scored four or more goals in all six of its wins in all competitions since the start of August, including the 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday. The Los Angeles Football Club has totaled just five goals in its other nine matches in that time (D4 L5).
Brian White scored the Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s first goal on Saturday while Ryan Gauld assisted on the second. It was the 13th MLS match this year that both were involved in a goal, equaling Atlanta United FC’s Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis for the most games a pair of teammates contributed to a goal this season (including playoffs). Denis Bouanga and Ryan Hollingshead became the sixth pair of teammates in MLS history to score a brace in the same playoff match on Saturday, and the second Los Angeles Football Club duo to do so (C. Vela and A. Diomande in 2019). Los Angeles Football Club is one of two teams (Los Angeles Galaxy) with multiple such playoff games in league history.
