LAFC stayed in touching distance of the top three in the Western Conference with an El Trafico win over rivals L.A. Galaxy on Sunday.
Danny Musovski scored the winning goal for Bob Bradley’s side at Banc of California Stadium while Carlos Vela added an insurance goal in his return for a 2-0 victory. The win snapped a two-match losing streak in the rivalry for LAFC.
It was all the hosts in the opening half with Diego Rossi striking the crossbar in the 10th minute before Musovski was denied by Jonathan Klinsmann two minutes later.
The Galaxy suffered a major blow in the 24th minute after VAR overturned a decision by referee —. Giancarlo Gonzalez looked to have tugged down Rossi in the box, which originally saw LAFC awarded a penalty and Gonzalez given a yellow card.
However, VAR overturned the decision which saw the Costa Rican defender sent off and LAFC given a free kick just outside of the box.
LAFC continued to pile on the pressure after halftime and eventually got its breakthrough in the 57th minute. Minutes after Eddie Segura rattled the right post following a corner kick, Musovski beat Klinsmann with a long-range strike into the bottom-left corner.
The Galaxy’s best effort to tie things up came in the 92nd minute with Nick DePuy’s header saved by Pablo Sinsiega, but LAFC would ice the win not long after. Vela made his return to league action as a second-half substitute and finished a pass from Bradley Wright-Phillips to cap the final score at 2-0.
LAFC sits in fourth place after the win and next hosts the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday while the last place Galaxy visits the Portland Timbers on the same night.
Man of the Match
Musovski had another strong performance for LAFC, scoring his fifth league goal of the season and coming close to adding to that total on several other occasions.
Moment of the Match
Gonzalez’s dismissal gave LAFC all the momentum and a lot more possession, while also putting the Galaxy on the back foot for the final 70+ minutes.
Match to Forget
Gonzalez’s silly decision to bring down Rossi in a dangerous area truly cost the Galaxy a chance at fighting for a needed win away from home. The veteran will now miss time due to suspension.