LOS ANGELES — Creating their own energy inside a limited-capacity BMO Stadium, the Los Angeles Football Club cruised past Loudoun United FC to reach the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal round for the third time.
Goals from Timothy Tillman, Cristian Olivera and the first in Black & Gold for 21-year-old Tomas Angel pushed LAFC past the USL Championship side, 3-0.
Fans occupied the lower bowl on the east side of the stadium as well as half the supporters’ section in the north end on Tuesday, staking out first-come, first-serve general admission seats for the single-elimination contest against D.C. United’s reserve team from northern Virginia.
The opening half matched the diminished atmosphere of 4,730 fans in the building, less than a quarter of the regular capacity.
Combining for three shots on target with Loudoun in the first 45 minutes, LAFC made the most of its first attempt before going quiet for the rest of the half.
Waiting at the far post to tap-in a low cross by Olivera, midfielder Timothy Tillman beat Loudoun goalkeeper Dane Jacomen for the lead.
For Tillman, a German-American who was called into the U.S. men’s national team training summer camp alongside his brother Malik, his first career Open Cup goal continued his string of high-quality contributions for LAFC, giving him five goals in all competitions.
Tillman began the match alongside Mateusz Bogusz and Ilie Sanchez, however 20 minutes in the veteran Spaniard grasped at his right leg and was replaced by Eduard Atuesta.
One of three regulars on the bench ahead of the club’s second stretch of four games in 12 days, Atuesta was brought on by assistant coach Ante Razov, who served in Steve Cherundolo’s role after the LAFC head coach was suspended for picking up a red card two weeks ago during the Round of 32 in Las Vegas.
It was the first time in a decade of coaching that Razov, a three-time Open Cup winner as a player with the Chicago Fire, was given the chance to run a team from the outset of the match.
Razov grabbed the reins for the second half against the Las Vegas Lights, when LAFC turned a scoreless match into a 3-1 win.
Against Loudoun, his players picked up where they left off in hopes of claiming their inaugural Lamar Hunt trophy in six tries.
Related Articles
LAFC looks to secure U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal spot without Steve Cherundolo
Denis Bouanga, Hugo Lloris lead LAFC past St. Louis
LAFC looks to snap out of road funk in St. Louis
LAFC adds French great Olivier Giroud, who has stepped down from AC Milan
LAFC hires Neil McGuinness as technical director
Switching from a back five to a 4-4-2, Loudoun hoped to get in the game however a pair diving stops from backup Abraham Romero repelled their best chances.
An Abraham save at the 50-minute mark setup the first of two second half assists by Denis Bouanga, who ran the length of the field and fed the Uruguayan winger in the box for a slick shot into the upper corner.
Before coming off in the 79th minute, Bouanga also provided Angel a gorgeous pass behind the Loudoun defenders that let the Colombian finish with his left foot.
LAFC improved to 10-4 in Open Cup competition.
The draw for the quarterfinal round takes place Wednesday evening.
More to come on this story.
Leave a Reply