/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59577055/952880690.jpg.0.jpg)
Yes, it was the home opener for Los Angeles Football Club and, yes, it lived up to the hype.
A late winner by Laurent Ciman capped all the fanfare and excitement surrounding Sunday’s official open of Banc of California Stadium with a stunning set piece delivery that inspired a celebration worthy of replay.
Lots of things to discuss, so without further ado, here are five takeaways from the 1-0 win:
Will Ferrell didn’t do too bad with that starting lineup
Of course, the part-owner of LAFC draws a crowd with his slapstick humor and Fox had no issue playing that up with Ferrell reading the starting lineup for LAFC during its broadcast Sunday.
Meanwhile in the US...
— LOVE SPORT Radio (@lovesportradio) April 30, 2018
Someone offer Will Ferrell a commentary job @PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/Jd0gJ7ihc3
Maybe a little much, but it wasn’t all bad.
The falcon, on the other hand, just a tad much?
Set piece Ciman
Wow! That is about the only word to describe Ciman’s set piece winner in the 93rd minute.
The strike went around a wall and bounced just right at Stefan Frei, off his hand and into the back of the net.
The moment @LAFC have been waiting for.@LaurentCiman23 scores the first home goal in #LAFC history. #LAFCvSEA https://t.co/n4uuprPh49
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 30, 2018
It was an absolutely brilliant shot that should be Goal of the Week.
A good idea here: Let Ciman take all the set pieces within 30 yards of the goal.
What a crowd!
It was a stadium opening that any club anywhere in the world would be proud of.
The LAFC faithful packed Banc of California Stadium in front of a national television audience and neither were disappointed.
The 22,000 fans were a story all to themselves. The national anthem makes the hairs on your arms stand up … and if they don’t, you really need to evaluate your fandom.
22,000 fans singing the national anthem ✅
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 30, 2018
First home tifo ✅
Not bad, @LAFC. Not bad at all. #FOXFieldPass pic.twitter.com/ZYFePaYJhy
To those in the North End … we salute you as well.
The North End is LOUD.#LAFCComesHome pic.twitter.com/hMjBdMk3sf
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 30, 2018
And for the rest of the league … watch out because LAFC may have a true home-field advantage.
Los Angeles, we’re home. #LAFCComesHome pic.twitter.com/Fkvu9ShVxM
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 30, 2018
Standings set-up
The home win, coupled with a strong road performance has LAFC sitting comfortably in second in the MLS Western Conference – two points back of Sporting Kansas City.
The bigger thing here – LAFC has two games in hand over both SKC and third-place Vancouver Whitecaps.
Perhaps even bigger is the performance of LAFC on its six-game road swing. There weren’t a lot of expectations for a new club spending more than a month on the road, but the 4-2 record paid off and a strong home showing makes LAFC a definite contender.
The only negative here is …
The fact that LAFC failed to capitalize on solid scoring opportunities in the second half.
For the game, the Black-and-Gold out-possessed Seattle 51-49 and goalkeeper Tyler Miller had three great saves for his third clean sheet of the season.
Eduard Atuesta had a nice look at goal in extra time, but the attempt was blocked away. Marco Urena put a header wide left in the 83rd minute. Walker Zimmerman missed a header high six yards out in the 78th minute while Mark-Anthony Kaye and Benny Feilhaber also missed chances early in the second half.
However, with a vaunted attack that includes two of the top five goal scorers in MLS – Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela – LAFC is going to have to capitalize on those chances more often than not moving forward.
What do you think? Post your comment below!
Loading comments...