LAFC took the early lead on a gifted goal and didn't look back, turning on the jets for a 4-2 home win — and a Pride Night celebration — over the Montreal Impact at Banc of California stadium on Friday night.
In the seventh minute, Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush tried to clear a ball out of the back and banged it off a lurking Christian Ramirez, resulting in a bizarre opening goal. It would be the first of three goals in the opening 45, with MLS Golden Boot leader Carlos Vela involved in the next two.
In the 28th minute, Vela took a lovely throughball from Eduard Atuesta, carried toward goal, and slotted past Bush for his 15th goal of the year. Then less than three minutes later, he worked the opening leg of a triangle, finding Diego Rossi on the left post, who reached Latif Blessing in front of goal with the assist; Blessing backheeled the pass in for his first goal of the year.
After several early false alarms after the break — including an apparent Vela goal called offside — Vela connected with Tristan Blackmon on a 55th-minute corner kick; the right back's header in front of a celebratory throng in the 3252 grew the lead to 4-0. The Impact did get one back in the 70th minute, with Maximiliano Urruti's tight-angle shot missing the target but bouncing off Eddie Segura for the own goal.
Then, in the 84th minute, Anthony Jackson-Hamel drew a push in the box from Walker Zimmerman, and Saphir Taider converted the PK for the final margin.
Goals
- 7' – LAFC – Christian Ramirez | WATCH
- 28' – LAFC – Carlos Vela | WATCH
- 31' — LAFC — Latif Blessing | WATCH
- 55' — LAFC — Tristan Blackmon | WATCH
- 70' — MTL — Eddie Segura (OG) | WATCH
- 84' — MTL — Saphir Taider (PK) | WATCH
Three Things
THE BIG PICTURE:
This wasn't going to be an easy road trip for the Impact to make, and while it wasn't the
7-1 disaster
they had at SKC back on March 30, they have to be feeling concerns about an offense that even
Ignacio Piatti
couldn't get going, and a mostly-solid defense that occasionally lets
this
kind of match happen. Meanwhile, LAFC has earned results in their past seven matches since their lone loss at
Vancouver
back in April. The home fans were clearly loving it, leaving TVA reporter Nicolas Martineau to remark on all the fun they were having (at the Impact's expense).
Next Up
- LAFC: Saturday, June 1 at Portland Timbers (10:30 pm ET | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, TSN in Canada)
- MTL: Wednesday, May 29 vs. Real Salt Lake (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, TSN and TVAS in Canada)
