Philadelphia Union will travel to the west coast this weekend where they'll face off against MLS newcomers Los Angeles Football Club. Kick off for the match is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on PHL17. Below is everything you need to know about LAFC:
Team: Los Angeles Football Club
Venue: Banc of California Stadium
Kick off: 8 p.m. ET on PHL17
2018 record: 8-4-3; 27 points, 3rd in Western Conference
Starting XI from last match:
Leading goal scorer:
Carlos Vela (7), away with the Mexico National Team for 2018 FIFA World Cup
Los Angeles Football Club are the newest Major League Soccer franchise. Under the direction of former US Men’s National Team, Egyptian Men’s National Team, and, briefly, Swansea City manager Bob Bradley, LAFC has waffled between good and great all season.
LAFC leans heavily on a core of veteran MLS talent including Laurent Ciman, Benny Feilhaber, and Lee Nguyen, but it’s a pair of young attackers that light the fireworks when they go off. Diego Rossi, a 20-year-old Uruguayan Designated Player, has five goals and six assists in his first 15 matches. Along with Latif Blessing, a zippy winger selected from Sporting Kansas City in LAFC’s expansion draft, Rossi has license to attack defenses on the dribble. As he rolls from left to right into the attacking third, LA’s creative midfielders fill spaces around him and soon an organized defense is reduced to a mucky mess.
Since Rossi likes to move central, controlling him will take a team effort, otherwise, Ale Bedoya and Warren Creavalle will soon be overloaded. But if Philly’s defenders step up to help, they leave room for Adama Diomande. The 28 year old Norwegian has only played in four games, but he already has four goals — and he has two shots on frame in each match. Staying on that pace would put him among the very best strikers in the league.
