In 2021 they saw their regular season points record bested by the New England Revolution (73), but the Black and Gold are currently positioned to reclaim that record, needing six wins from their final eight matches. While boasting tremendous depth in the attack with 15 different players tallying at least once in the regular season, Steve Cherundolo has been able to depend on a solid defensive setup, combined with excellent goalkeeping, with LAFC conceding the second-fewest goals (26) to date in MLS.

That was also the first time in which the Supporters' Shield leaders had allowed multiple goals in a road fixture since a 2-0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids on May 14, as LA have only dropped four away matches this year.Īfter missing the postseason for the first time in their history a year ago, the front office made some sweeping changes to the roster and staff, which have paid immediate dividends as LA are currently the only team in MLS to be assured of a postseason berth. While there has been a lot of talk about this group's tremendous comebacks this season, the Verde and Black have also let their share of games slip away, squandering 10 points in 2022 when scoring the opening goal.įor the first time in weeks, Los Angeles FC were held in check by one of the most unlikely of opponents as San Jose, who have conceded the most goals in the Western Conference (54), only allowed one shot on target to the Black and Gold. They were the last team to defeat LAFC on their home field, winning 2-1 back on May 18, but Austin have never triumphed against them at Q2 Stadium, losing both fixtures a season ago by a combined score of 4-1. Throughout much of the campaign, the Verde and Black had been shoulder-to-shoulder with LAFC for the Supporters' Shield crown, however, a poor stretch of results recently, winning just two of their previous six MLS affairs, has them nine points behind the Black and Gold in the battle for home field advantage in the postseason.Īs if by design, Austin fell behind last Saturday, conceding the opening goal for the 13th time this season, but this time there was no late magic as they lost 2-1 to Minnesota United, ending a six-match unbeaten run away from home.Ĭoming into game 27 of their season, they are tied with the Black and Gold for the most goals scored in the league this year (55) and barring some massive defensive breakdowns in their final matches of the year, they are likely to improve on their goals-against mark from 2021, having conceded 36 times this year, 20 fewer than they had allowed in their inaugural campaign. Austin need only three more victories to ensure their spot in the knockout phase of this competition, currently sitting six points ahead of Dallas for second place in the Western Conference.

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