After very intense and entertaining Conference Semi-Finals on the Western Conference of the MLS, we are already in the closing stages of the competition. This long awaited match will feature two relatively new teams to the league who are on the hunt for their first MLS Cup Championship.
On one side we have season favourites, and Supporters’ Shield winners LAFC with their star-studded squad, versus a first-time Conference Finalist Austin FC, a team that is playing just their second season on MLS, but they’ve really made an entrance and have their sights set on the trophy.
LAFC
The ‘Black and Gold’ are coming off a ver exhilarating game, as they just made it through after an ‘instant classic’ game against bitter rivals LA Galaxy at ‘El Trafico’ derby in the Conference Semifinals. It was Arango’s goal in stoppage time (93’) what sealed the ticket to the Finals after an intense game (3-2). Even tough everything seemed under control for LAFC on the closing stages of the second half, it took a monumental effort from the team and the crowd to push for the winner and avoid extra time.
One of the hot topics surrounding this team, has been leadership skills, and very risky decisions manager Steve Cherundolo has made, prioritizing team play above all. On the LA Galaxy semifinal, Cherundolo subbed his best player Carlos Vela at 78’, whom showed his obvious disapproval, as the game was still 1-1. This is not the first time Cherundolo has been questioned about his decisions, as he has also dealt with stars Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale, the American manager has not stuttered when making tough choices that make sense for the team, and not for individualities, which has payed off in the long run.
Austin FC
We had another derby in the Western Conference Semi-Finals as Austin FC faced their rivals FC Dallas, and what seemed to be a very comfortable fixture after an early 2-0 lead for ‘The Verde and Black’ turned into a nail bitter towards the end, as Dallas pulled one goal back in the second half, and pushed all the way until the final whistle for the equalizer. Austin FC managed to secure the victory (2-1) but will have to be very cautious moving forward, since a team as LAFC will not hesitate to inflict serious damage if Austin takes their foot off the gas for too long.
One of the highlights for this Austin FC team has been how they have embraced their ‘underdog’ status, as this team was publicly disregarded by ‘experts’ and media before the start of the season predicting this squad would be low-end table. But ‘The Verde and Black’ have proven the haters wrong, and they are loving it. Brazilian midfielder, and long time MLS ‘antagonist’ Felipe Martins, has publicly made statements on how the non-believers actually pushed them to go against all odds, and he even invites them to “Keep on doubting”.
Very Good Game Incoming
The Western Conference Final is going to be played on Sunday, October 30th at Noon (Local Time), on Banc of California Stadium, and what a showdown awaits us. LAFC will be the clear favourites as they will be playing at home with Vela leading the attack, but there is no way you can write-off Austin FC and Sebastian Driussi, one of the top scorers of the MLS Season, who will take any opportunity that comes his way. Both teams had the same problem in the semi-finals when they stopped applying pressure on their opponents, so its likely that the two teams will start slow and ease their efforts towards the second half, since there is going to very few opportunities during the game, and whoever makes most of them will go on to fight for the title.
