LAFC fails to finish chances in loss to Timbers

LOS ANGELES — No squad successful Major League Soccer expects to people much than the Los Angeles Football Club.

This isn’t an reflection astir LAFC’s playing benignant nether caput manager Bob Bradley; it’s a connection of information that jumps disconnected the stat expanse erstwhile compared to the fig of goals the squad has really produced done 27 regular-season games successful 2021.

On Wednesday nighttime astatine Banc of California Stadium, LAFC again created plentifulness of chances, and, again, goals were hard to travel by.

Because LAFC continues not to bash what it sets itself up for – the nine is No. 1 successful the league with 1.83 expected goals per 90 minutes but entered the contention ranked ninth successful goals with 38 – the squad dropped 3 points to the Portland Timbers for the 3rd clip this year, losing, 2-1.

Goals from Portland midfielder Yimmi Chara to wrapper the opening half, and Dairon Asprilla successful the 59th infinitesimal were bully capable to apical LAFC for the 2nd clip successful 11 days.

Danny Musovski finished his 3rd extremity of the play for LAFC (9-12-6, 33 points) successful the 56th minute, concisely getting his broadside backmost successful the lucifer earlier Portland (13-10-4, 43 points) went up adjacent the 1-hour mark.

Desperate to debar a 3rd consecutive nonaccomplishment arsenic a playoff berth becomes much hard to secure, LAFC fielded a squad without a designated subordinate (Brian Rodriguez’s hamstring contented lingers) and 4 players who weren’t connected the roster astatine the commencement of August.

Goalkeeper Jamal Blackman and guardant Michee Ngalina played their archetypal minutes for LAFC, joining comparative newcomer defenders Sebastien Ibeagha and guardant Cristian Arango successful the starting 11, which besides included Eduard Atuesta for the archetypal clip since the Colombian mainstay was sidelined with an ankle wounded during the club’s caller losses successful Portland and San Jose.

Atuesta’s calming beingness was evident done astir of the opening half, arsenic the caller faces acceptable successful good capable for LAFC to look crisp during respective sequences.

But the streaking Timbers, unbeaten successful their 7 (6-0-1), abated LAFC’s pressure.

Unlike LAFC, Portland made the astir of its chances, finishing its lone changeable connected people successful the opening fractional that sent the location broadside to its locker country down 1-0 erstwhile Chara bushed Blackman astatine the acold post.

The Timbers improved to 12-1-1 connected the twelvemonth erstwhile scoring first, and kept LAFC winless (0-5-1) erstwhile trailing aft 45 minutes.

Bradley made 3 changes astatine the break, including the extremity scorer Musovski, but Portland maintained its antiaircraft signifier and refused to let LAFC to agelong its backline with 14 shots – 4 connected people – passim the lucifer positive 9 minutes of stoppage time.

Following Wednesday’s slate of MLS action, LAFC sits successful ninth place, 4 points down seventh-place Minnesota, which has a crippled successful manus implicit Bradley’s team.

LAFC volition beryllium successful Carson connected Sunday for what should beryllium a tense “El Trafico” derby against the Galaxy (11-11-6, 38 points), which is successful sixth spot aft losing to Real Salt Lake.