By Agencies
[email protected]
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) extended its unbeaten streak to six games with a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps in its regular season home finale on Tuesday night at Banc of California Stadium.
Mamadou Fall scored LAFC’s only goal just before halftime and the club outshot Vancouver 25-5, but it was unable to find a winner and had to settle for the tie.
With the draw, LAFC is now 12-12-9 on the season for 44 points and remains in ninth place in the MLS Western Conference as they stay alive for a playoff berth heading into the final game of the regular season on Sunday.
Knowing that it needed a win to climb back into a playoff position, LAFC pushed forward from the start, but it was the Whitecaps who got on the scoreboard first.
Cristian Dajome collected a cross in the center of the box and eluded an LAFC defender before beating LAFC goalkeeper Jamal Blackman to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.
The score would stay that way until first half stoppage time when Mamadou Fall scored his fourth goal of the season from close range. Sebastien Ibhega’s initial shot was blocked before being redirected by a Whitecap defender to Fall, who prodded the ball home from close range, tying the score at 1-1.
After the break, LAFC continued to pressure the Vancouver defense in search of a go-ahead goal.
However, Whitecaps goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was equal to the challenge at every turn, making 10 saves, including five in the second half to keep the game level.
Late in second half stoppage time, LAFC leading scorer Cristian Arango had a chance to be the hero, but he just missed getting his head onto a Jose Cifuentes cross and the game finished 1-1.
LAFC will close out the 2021 regular season on Sunday afternoon when it travels to Colorado to take on the Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. That game kicks off a 3 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live locally in English on My 13 KCOP and in Spanish on Estrella TV.
