Does the Los Angeles Football Club have something to prove as it enters the Leagues Cup final? To themselves? To the league? To their opponents Sunday, the formidable Columbus Crew?
Battling the Crew with a trophy on the line for the second time in nine months, LAFC intends to rewrite the script at Lower.com Field.
As Columbus followed up an MLS Cup triumph in 2020 with its third league title in December, it also denied LAFC back-to-back championships.
The 2022 MLS Cup winners, two-time CONCACAF finalists and Supporters’ Shield victors had plenty of reasons to think of themselves as the best team in the league, not the also-ran Black and Gold from the West Coast.
“Against them, we haven’t shown it and so for me I want to prove, and I think the guys want to prove, that when titles are on the line we show up and play and win those titles,” LAFC defender Ryan Hollingsahead said.
But that’s how it’s been since head coach Wilfried Nancy took the Columbus job in 2023.
Starting at right-back in LAFC’s ill-fated 2-1 title-game loss at Columbus, the last of three attempts to lift hardware that did not go their way last season, 33-year-old Hollingshead had to cope with another disappointing experience following a league clash against the Crew on July 17 at BMO Stadium.
Speaking after a club-record 13-match unbeaten streak was snapped with a 5-1 shellacking courtesy of the Crew – the only defeat in 20 games at BMO Stadium for LAFC this season – the veteran fullback knew what he wanted and expected moving forward.
Giving credit where credit was due, he tipped his proverbial cap toward the visitor’s locker room, which boomed with music and celebration, declaring, “I hope we get to see them again.”
With that, Hollingshead was confident the players and staff could move forward in a good way, and they have, going 6-0-2 since the Crew produced the lone blemish during LAFC’s ongoing 18-1-3 run that began in early May.
While the unpleasant eye-opener served as a reminder that MLS teams capable of putting LAFC in its place do exist, it didn’t derail Cherundolo’s team from finding results in the league, reaching the Leagues Cup final or making a deep run in the U.S. Open Cup, which could deliver another opportunity for a trophy with a win at Seattle on Aug. 28.
Following Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, which took Leagues Cup by storm last summer during the inaugural 47-team tournament that mashed together Major League Soccer and Liga MX sides, the monthlong tournament produced a marquee showdown in its second try.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Hollingshead’s hope turned real so quickly.
Former LAFC star and 2020 MLS Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi has six goals for Columbus, tying him with current LAFC star and defending MLS Golden Boot winner Dénis Bouanga for the most finishes in the competition.
By virtue of beating LAFC in the MLS Cup, Columbus entered the field in the knockout stage, stopping Sporting Kansas City, Inter Miami, NYCFC in penalties, and Philadelphia on Wednesday to earn its fifth straight knockout match in Columbus.
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LAFC opened the group stage at home, handling business against Club Tijuana and Vancouver before shredding Austin, San Jose, Seattle (away), and Colorado by a combined score of 16-1.
“Overall the group is in a very good spot, mentally, physically and tactically, if you will, and just quite happy with where they are,” said Cherundolo, who sees nothing that needs proving, only targets within reach. “It’s kind of the sweet spot right now, so it’s a great time to play this match.”
LAFC AT COLUMBUS CREW
When: 4:15 p.m. Sunday
Where: Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio
TV/radio: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)/710 AM, 980 AM
