- by Paul Kennedy
After playing its first six games on the road, Los Angeles FC will play its first-ever home game next Sunday at new Banc of California Stadium when it hosts the Seattle Sounders.
Long road-stands create a challenge for MLS teams waiting to open new stadiums. Not Bob Bradley's first-year LAFC.
It returned home after a 5-3 win at Montreal on Saturday with four wins in six games for 12 points, putting it tied for second in the Western Conference, and 16 goals. LAFC leads MLS with 2.67 goals per game.
Against the Impact, LAFC conceded a first-half hat trick to Ignacio Piatti and trailed 3-1 at the break. But that was no problem for LAFC.
"We conceded four goals in the second half," said Impact head coach Remi Garde, "but it could've easily been six or seven."
Montreal keeper Evan Bush made 14 saves, a club record, and kept the Impact in the lead at 2-1 when he saved a penalty kick by Marco Urena after Impact defender Victor Cabrera was ejected in the 31st minute.
Playing with 10 men proved to be too much for the Impact as the lead evaporated early in the second half on a goal by Benny Feilhaber and an own goal five minutes apart. Goals by Carlos Vela -- his fifth for LAFC -- and Latif Blessing in the last 10 minutes gave LAFC the win.
"When you have a new team," said Bradley, "you create history day by day, page by page. That’s a new page in our history book, to come back and to finish a game like that."
"We conceded four goals in the second half," said Impact head coach Remi Garde, "but it could've easily been six or seven."
Montreal keeper Evan Bush made 14 saves, a club record, and kept the Impact in the lead at 2-1 when he saved a penalty kick by Marco Urena after Impact defender Victor Cabrera was ejected in the 31st minute.
Playing with 10 men proved to be too much for the Impact as the lead evaporated early in the second half on a goal by Benny Feilhaber and an own goal five minutes apart. Goals by Carlos Vela -- his fifth for LAFC -- and Latif Blessing in the last 10 minutes gave LAFC the win.
"When you have a new team," said Bradley, "you create history day by day, page by page. That’s a new page in our history book, to come back and to finish a game like that."
Bittersweet homecoming. The game marked the return of Belgian national team defender Laurent Ciman to Montreal. He was not happy with the Impact when it made an offseason trade that sent him to expansion LAFC. Montreal was a place where he could get a level of treatment for his young daughter Nina, who is autistic, that was not available in Belgium, and uprooting his family to a new city was stressful.
Ciman struggled trying to keep up with his former teammate, Piatti, in the first half but he kept LAFC in the game with a goal on a thunderous free kick.
"I thought about my wife and my kids," he said. "I had the chance to score on this free kick. Sometimes, you take risks and it pays off."
Returning to Montreal was bittersweet.
"Before the game, during the game, after the game, the supporters were good to me," Ciman said. "I want to thank them. Montreal will remain in my heart, but now, we move forward with the decisions that were taken. I am very happy in Los Angeles, with a technical staff that is behind me."
Ciman struggled trying to keep up with his former teammate, Piatti, in the first half but he kept LAFC in the game with a goal on a thunderous free kick.
"I thought about my wife and my kids," he said. "I had the chance to score on this free kick. Sometimes, you take risks and it pays off."
Returning to Montreal was bittersweet.
"Before the game, during the game, after the game, the supporters were good to me," Ciman said. "I want to thank them. Montreal will remain in my heart, but now, we move forward with the decisions that were taken. I am very happy in Los Angeles, with a technical staff that is behind me."
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