Los Angeles FC is one win away from historic glory.
In Sunday’s Western Conference Final, No. 1 seed LAFC cruised past No. 2 Austin FC 3-0 at the Banc of California Stadium to punch their ticket to the 2022 MLS Cup Final.
The account opened with striker Cristian Arango in the 29th minute. He evaded his man inside the box and connected on Carlos Vela’s well-delivered left-footed corner with a header that left Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver no chance.
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Los Angeles continued to control the game from there, but it didn’t find a second goal until the hour mark in the final half.
On another corner delivered by Vela, Austin forward Maximiliano Urruti headered in the in-swinging ball for a devastating own goal in the 62nd minute.
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Austin then increased the intensity of its attack, propelling LAFC to substitute Arango and Vela to hold a better defensive shape with a 2-0 lead intact.
That strategy paid off when Kwadwo Opoku, one of the players who came on for LAFC, pressed high for a loose ball, winning it thanks to a friendly bounce. He struck the ball cleanly towards the bottom left corner to kill the game.
In the end, LAFC’s 22 total shots (10 on target) proved to be the difference as Austin logged just seven. Only one hit the target in the 80th minute, which was a comfortable save for Maxime Crépeau who had little work to do on the day.
Now Los Angeles gets to sit back and celebrate while the Eastern Conference Final between No. 1 Philadelphia Union and defending champions No. 3 NYCFC gets underway.
No matter the winner, the final will be hosted by LAFC since they won the Supporters’ Shield and ended the regular season with the best overall record.
LAFC has never won the playoff title since it was founded in 2014, and this will be their first appearance in the game to potentially add that trophy to their cabinet.
The final has a kick-off time of 1 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 5.
