Two For Two: LAFC two wins away from a Double, MLS’s coveted honor

How Cristian Arango’s scoring and Carlos Vela’s newfound playmaking ability have helped LAFC turn things around and make 2022 a season to remember forever in the minds of the Black and Gold faithful. 

LAFC: The unluckiest team in MLS

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At the beginning of 2021, LAFC opened up as one of the favorites to contend for the MLS Cup; something most probably won’t know unless you follow the odds for sports futures. The neat thing about futures is that it spreads the predictions among many bettors in different risk groups, who together manage to rank teams in a way that allows people to guess who will win in exchange for some cold hard cash. For that reason, odds give you an instant pulse on expectations and essentially an idea of how teams are perceived going into the season. Much like last year, at the beginning of the 2022 campaign, LAFC was once again the odds favorite to win the MLS Cup alongside two teams two failed to make the playoffs: the New England Revolutions and the CCL Champs, Seattle Sounders.

By the time the 2021 regular season finished, LAFC was out of the playoffs and became known as the ‘unluckiest’ team in the league, with the highest delta in Major League Soccer between xG (expected goals) and actual goals scored as a club. Then suddenly, a couple of injuries to the defense happened, and boom, the Black and Gold spiraled out of the playoff grid for the first time in its brief history. Soon after, the chants of #bobout began echoing loud through the Black and Gold community, referring, of course, to legendary coach Bob Bradley and the legacy he built at the club during his time there. No one at the time, except maybe a few devoted fans, could see a turnaround of this magnitude happening except, of course, if you follow futures: to begin 2022, LAFC was once again on top as the betting community continued to see LAFC as a leading contender for the West and Cup. Today, the Black and Gold is essentially an even bet at -110. If you’re lucky to have placed a bet on LAFC to win it all at +700 when it all began, brace yourself: you have two games to go.

Offseason Coaching Change – Steve Cherundolo

After the brutal ending to the 2021 season, the day’s first order for GM John Thorrington was to rekindle the leadership channels in the building, which had broken down by the legendary coach who seemed to demand too much control in player decisions while quieting some of the leading voices in the locker room. The chemistry between the front office and coaches has drastically improved in 2022: decisions are certainly better aligned than before. There are examples of true collaboration to bring players in that fit the coaching schema while quickly sending other players out on loan to produce elsewhere. Nonetheless, much of the foundation had been laid by Bob in his 4 years with the Club. By the end, though, this stern tone and voice didn’t seem to echo loud enough throughout the building, so a mutual decision to part ways was made, and a coaching search began right away in Los Angeles.

As Bob’s replacement, a few big names circled the LAFC news cycle, but no one carried any substantial weight. It’s unclear whether the team made efforts to bring in Juan Carlos Osorio or Tata Martinez, prominent personalities who would have required more profound changes internally for the young club. The clear favorite from the start was a young coach named Steve Cherundolo. The former USMNT standout had already developed a good relationship with Thorrington and LAFC during his brief time as USL side Las Vegas Lights manager, so much of the internal changes could be absorbed quickly within the abridged off-season period. The other two names who were pondered: Ante Razov and Marc dos Santos, two MLS vets, would end up as Dolo’s assistants when the dust settled.  For the main head coaching job, Thorrington would decide on a Southern California expat with German soccer roots and very little MLS bias to work with. It can be argued that Steve’s German philosophy has helped LAFC remain disciplined in times of chaos, with the rookie coach showing very little inexperience or signs of feeling overwhelmed on the sidelines, despite never playing or coaching in MLS before 2022.

Steve Cherundolo is Black & Gold.

📝 #LAFC announces @SCherundolo as head coach.

— LAFC (@LAFC) January 3, 2022

LAFC quickly became a contender for the Western Conference on the field, never losing the lead on the standings and remaining atop the Conference for 31 out of the 33 weeks in the league’s calendar. The only team that can be said to have contested LAFC in 2022 is the other semifinalist in the Western Conference, Austin FC, who managed to beat the mighty Black and Gold twice this season, the only team to do so in 2022. The most remarkable feat was winning vs. LAFC in Los Angeles 2-1 after monster performances by goalkeeper Brad Stuver and attacker Diego Fagundez in a contested match that ended up going Josh Wolff’s team’s way. Austin was missing skilled midfielder Pereira that game but still found a way to stifle the opponent and come out of the game with a win. The match in Austin, a few weeks later, however, had all the elements of a beat down, with LAFC succumbing 4-1 to Verde Nation, despite winning the xG battle, a game in which the Black and Gold’s flaws were on full display for the world to see. As the team went cold in September, so did the points cushion that made the Barrio Angelino a lock for the Supporter’s Shield as the team reeled through roster changes and a slump characterized by a team that could no longer find ways to win games, especially on the road against Conference woes.

This story ends happily with the LA club lifting its second Supporters Shield in five years, winning all but two of its home games, and finding its form again in October with only a few weeks left to play. The additions of MLS vets Ryan Hollingshead, Franco Escobar, and especially former Kansas City man Ilie Sanchez were significant moves that gave depth and character to Steve Cherundolo’s team, something Bob’s team lacked all of 2021. With fan favorites Diego Rossi and Eduard Atuesta gone, it was hard to predict who would step up and whether the Front Office had done enough to revert a challenging narrative in Los Angeles, especially given the situation with its Designated Player spots that needed to be filled. Thorrington had always been adamant about making his DPs attacking players, something I understand to be primarily a cap-driven argument since DP spots are nothing more than mechanisms to keep franchises under the salary cap while expanding the teams’ ability to bring in stars that sell tickets and merchandise. Bringing in Bouanga and Tello late in the Summer is a plan for 2023 when LAFC will play in the CCL, in addition to the new Leagues Cup and a possible expanded playoff bracket for the MLS Cup, which would make a path to the title even harder in years to come.

Carlos Vela – a rejuvenated athlete and a real comeback season

It surprised me that LAFC did not nominate Carlos Vela to get a Comeback Player of the Year Award. I’m sure the league will end up giving this to Higuaín anyhow because he was so bad initially and because he cried in his last game after actually trying in Miami. At the same time, everyone seemed to have forgotten just how frustrating a season the MLS’s poster boy and LAFC captain had in 2021. Last year, the league even went out of its way to put Vela up as an All-Star Captain alongside Chicharito, all while hosting the game at Banc of California Stadium, only to see both Mexican stars sidelined by injury. To make matters worse,  Carlos went on Mexican TV during the game and expressed dissatisfaction with his salary negotiations while becoming non-committal about his future with the team. For once in the club’s history, the most crucial figure in its formation was considering leaving.

Then came the changes in leadership and Steve Cherundolo. Suddenly, it seemed like Carlos Vela was smiling again, happy and ready to contribute. In 2022, with his health problems behind him, Carlos came on the scene strong, scoring a hat trick to begin LAFC’s campaign against Colorado at home and launch the team into a wild campaign that would result in winning the Supporter’s Shield and securing home field advantage through the playoffs.

And while his shooting has diminished throughout the years, his game seems to have gained an extra wrinkle of patience, allowing Carlos to develop into a top assisting forward in this league. Of course, Carlos isn’t the only reason LAFC has gone from a playoff fringe team to a Supporters’ Shield winner and Double contender. Vela finally got the help he needed not to feel he carried the team on his back on and off the pitch. In 2019, under Bob, the limelight was so intense that it was hard for Vela to feel like he could genuinely be himself: a family man with still plenty to give if used with caution and without reliance on that very explosiveness that made LAFC Supporter Shield winners in its second year as a professional club.

https://twitter.com/LACelso_VOBG/status/1585329149018656768?s=20&t=lvH8rw8qEGxaIFNak2Ullw

Chicho Arango shining among ‘The Stars’

No athlete has helped revive this new, improved Carlos Vela more than Cristian Arango has. This year, Vela has assisted 6 of the Colombian’s goals, burying the notion the two were not compatible to play together. Arango was the first piece brought in by the Front Office towards what I like to call the De-Vela-tization of LAFC’s play and constant attacking dependence. With Diego Rossi gone, LAFC needed a player who could be more combative vs. attacking players, providing coverage to wingers on defense. Six goals may not seem like a lot for a striker like Arango, but no one has assisted him more, especially considering 12 of his goals with LAFC came unassisted.

Chicho is and has been the perfect compliment to Carlos Vela, and there has been no one close to him as a goalscorer for LAFC in 2022. He also proved clutch after a relatively quiet playoff game against the LA Galaxy, only to find the net in a reflex-driven strike in a tale of the right striker at the right place and the right time, resulting in LAFC moving on to face the Cinderella Austin FC in the Western Conference Finals. It was a goal, really, the goal that helped LAFC avoid dreaded overtime against a team with very little to lose and playing well on the road. A goal that certainly changed the course of the Club and what it has in store for the Colombian striker.

https://twitter.com/LACelso_VOBG/status/1585359433793556481?s=20&t=lvH8rw8qEGxaIFNak2Ullw

Overall, the goals leader for the Black and Gold netted 16 goals and 4 assists in 2340 minutes during the regular season, excluding his strong showing in the Open Cup, where LAFC fell short early on. Chicho was immediate in his contributions to LAFC and almost salvaged the dreadful 2021 campaign, becoming one of MLS’s best new players and another big win for General Manager John Thorrington. Chicho’s contract is also very attractive for the club and likely drove the team to make some of the moves seen in the Summer window, when Gareth Bale, Cristian Tello, and Denis Bouanga, all Europeans, joined the team to compete for minutes among the attacking trio of LAFC. Two of those players were signed under Designated Player status. With Vela now taking on more play-making abilities, it was Arango’s job to lose as LAFC’s de facto 9. If the league does plan to allow clubs to sign a 4th Designated Player, Chicho will be the easy decision for the Black and Gold. If that decision is delayed, LAFC must decide about the player’s future in the coming season. Probably not something LAFC will address until the season is underway in 2023.

To his credit, Cristian Arango is the only one with box presence among the three new signees, especially considering Gareth’s diminished role with LAFC so far in 2022. While Ligue 1 transferee Bouanga was a shoo-in to fill the void left by Brian Rodriguez and Danny Musovski, no one was and still is in a position to contest Arango’s job. When substituted or playing under 60 minutes, LAFC has lost 5 of the 9 games lost all season. When Arango finishes the game, LAFC isn’t usually behind: only three losses for the Black and Gold when Arango goes 90. LAFC needs Chicho to score and win. When he struggles, the team struggles. And even when they aren’t playing well, Chicho finds the back of the net. In the 4-1 loss to Austin, the player went 90 minutes and scored LAFC’s only goal to break Brad Stuver’s clean sheet. A small consolation prize for Chicho, given how the team played that evening in Texas.

Now, with two games left in 2022, it’s becoming clear that this is Arango’s team as much as Vela’s. When he sent the team onto the West Finals with his late strike past Bond, he also sent the Front Office notice that he’s Chicho Arango and here to stay. To place it in the words of Chicho, all those stars signed by LAFC in the Summer transfer should be thankful to play with Chicho Arango, not the other way around.

LAFC’s season, for the most part, has been a complete success and a tale of good management and front-office decision-making. Whether the team is built for two more wins against two Coach of The Year candidates is to be seen. Either way, LAFC is here to stay, and at least for the time being, Los Angeles is Black and Gold.

Capa: Celso Oliveira / Territorio MLS