Los Angeles, CA — The MLS is back, fans are BACK, and what an atmosphere there was at Banc of California stadium today. I was so ecstatic to cover the Los Angeles FC vs New York City FC game, and it did not disappoint! The atmosphere was just as I remembered it pre-covid: the smell of delicious food, the music and non-stop cheering of the fans, and the hard-fought battle between two incredible sides down on the pitch.
I knew going into this game that it was going to be a good one. I have been following both teams for years and it’s always been a quality match-up between the two. The first half was a lot of back and forth, transition after transition but neither team was finding the back of the net, even though LAFC had the upper hand of opportunities.
Los Angeles FC was the first team on the scoreboard with a goal in the 56th minute from Corey Baird. But, NYCFC answered in the 70th minute with a beautiful upper 90 shot by Jesús Medina. It wasn’t until the final minutes of the game where I was on the edge of my seat…In the 86th minute Nicolás Acevedo got a red card and NYCFC was down to 10 men just trying to scramble defensively.
Usually, when you are down a man the majority of the time, the game never goes in your favor….but NOT TODAY!!! New York City FC capitalized on a corner kick in the 90th minute with a goal from Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and to put them ahead 2-1 and LAFC could not answer before the final whistle.
All I can say is WOW WHAT A GAME!!
I love this beautiful game and games like this are one of the reasons why it’s so beautiful. Both teams fought hard with an obscene amount of fouls, the aggressive player in me cheering loudly.
Everyone knows that this game can go either way every time you step out onto the pitch, and it’s not always the “best” team that wins. I felt that LAFC outplayed NYCFC, but New York City FC was defensively sound and their interchanging formation had an answer to every Los Angeles FC attack. If this game was any testament to what this MLS season has in store SIGN ME UP because we are all in for a wild ride!!!
