LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo was asked Friday for one word to sum up the year that has passed since his team’s triumph in the MLS Cup final.
“Maybe fast and furious,” he offered.
Uh, that’s actually four words, coach. But if Cherundolo has trouble succinctly describing the 12 months since his biggest win for LAFC, he knows how he’ll be celebrating it: by trying to win another title.
Sunday marks the anniversary of the team’s penalty-kicks win over the Philadelphia Union in arguably the most dramatic MLS championship game played. And at virtually the same time that game ended a year ago, LAFC will kick off a first-round playoff game in Vancouver, needing a victory to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
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“The time, unfortunately, to sit back and think about the past year and reflect was quite short,” Cherundolo, unfettered from his word limit, added. “It’s hard to replicate that moving forward, exactly how it happened. But we will do our best to try.”
So hard to replicate, in fact, no team has won back-to-back MLS titles since the Galaxy in 2012. The league has seen nine teams win the 10 championships since then. However, if history is any guide, LAFC is well-positioned to challenge that trend.
Last season LAFC hit a late skid in which it won only once in six MLS games before rebounding to win two of its final three regular-season matches. It then ran the table in the playoffs, winning its first title.
This season LAFC hit a late skid in which it won only once in six MLS games before rebounding to win two of its final three regular-season matches. It then opened the playoffs last weekend with a one-sided 5-2 win over the Whitecaps in the opener of a best-of-three series. Another win Sunday and LAFC moves on; a loss and, under the league’s new forgiving playoff format, it returns to BMO Stadium on Thursday to try again.
Want some more history? The Whitecaps have beaten LAFC only once in five games this year and have won only one playoff game in nine tries in franchise history. In an effort to turn that around, Vancouver is hoping for some help from its 12th man, opening the upper bowl at BC…