Match Preview - LAFC

Game Info

Kickoff: 9:30pm CT

Watch: Apple TV

Location: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, CA

All-Time H2H Record

Austin FC has 2W-6L-1D all-time record against LAFC.

Austin’s last match versus LAFC resulted in a 1-1 draw on June 19th of this year at Q2 Stadium. The Verde & Black opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a goal from Jader Obrian and mostly controlled the game up until the waning moments, where a Kei Kamara header in the 90th minute equalized the game. Prior to that draw, Austin FC had lost three straight to LAFC and have been outscored 6-0 at BMO Stadium over the last two meetings in that venue.

LAFC Recent Form

In the group stage of Leagues Cup, LAFC found themselves matched up with Vancouver Whitecaps and Club Tijuana from Liga MX. After securing a 3-0 victory against Tijuana, they drew Vancouver 2-2 in comeback fashion before dropping the extra point from penalty kicks after regulation had ended. 

If you’re a fan of MLS then you’re aware of how talented the LAFC roster is, with names like Denis Bouanga, Cristian Olivera, Mateusz Bogusz, Ilie Sanchez, and Aaron Long just to name a few. The rich have gotten richer, as LAFC has added the all-time leading goal scorer for France in international competitions, Olivier Giroud, into the fold. Giroud had his introductory press conference last Thursday to welcome him to the team and the club released a lengthy clip on social media of him participating in Saturday’s practice in a full capacity.

It remains to be seen if Giroud will see action in this match, but don’t be surprised if he does make an appearance off the bench. With respect to the work Bogusz (a natural winger) has done this season playing up top, if there was one thing this LAFC juggernaut was lacking, it was true class at the striker position. While Kei Kamara is an all-time MLS performer, he’s in the twilight of his career at 39 years old. 

In group stage, LAFC thrashed an out-matched Tijuana team in shutout fashion 3-0. The goals came from two players we talked about at length in Episode 165, with Cristian Olivera scoring twice and assisting Denis Bouanga, while Bouanga assisted on both of Olivera’s goals. LAFC then faced a Vancouver Whitecaps side without the services of star midfielder Ryan Gauld. After conceding two early goals to the ‘Caps, LAFC rallied in the 88th minute with a goal from Kamara then another from Bogusz in the 95th to send the game to the spot, but Vancouver was able to secure the extra point with a 4-2 aggregate on penalty kicks. 

Austin FC Recent Form

We shocked the world! Well, maybe not the world, but we surely shocked a lot of Liga MX fans. Even after the surprising upset over Pumas, which ATX was able to pull off down a man for over an hour, our moods weren’t overly optimistic headed into Tuesday’s match. But for the second match in a row, Austin was able to outlast their opponents as significant underdogs by defeating CF Monterrey 2-0 in the second match of group stage. A complete performance from all involved that saw goals from Jader Obrian and Dani Pereira while the defense held Rayados scoreless to propel Austin to the top of West Group 1.

Neither game was perfect, but as we all know, no games really are. No matter if you thought the Verde & Black were dominant and deserving winners or got extremly lucky, Austin found a way to win (arguably) the most difficult group of the entire tournament. Our reward for winning West Group 1? A visit to LAFC at BMO Stadium. It stinks, but the team has no time to feel bad for themselves. If you listened to Episode 165, then you’re well aware that I view this matchup as a gift. A gift in the sense that advancing means unexpected soccer for the fans while allowing Austin FC to have another competitive fixture to acclimate the new signings (Bukari, Desler, and Svatok), and giving the club a great mid-August measuring stick with their new look.

Let’s be frank. Not even the most optimistic of fans saw the two results versus the Mexican clubs playing out the way they did. Austin came into this tournament as the 37th ranked team in the Leagues Cup tiers, while CF Monterrey was the 2nd and Pumas the 22nd. That’s quite the gap in quality even without factoring in current form and puts into perspective the magnitude of both upsets. 

LAFC on the other hand came in as the 15th ranked club, and are up to their usual business in the Western Conference of MLS, as they sit second in the table with two games in hand on rival LA Galaxy at the top. In this game on Wednesday night, all of the pressure is on LAFC, while Austin’s presence feels like they’re playing with house money. I’m excited to see how the Verde and Black look against this quality opponent, so that we may have further evidence as to what we could expect from this team once they shift back to MLS league play. 

Injury Report

LAFC - Timothy Tillman (Doubtful - Leg)

ATX - None

LAFC Players to Watch

Denis Bouanga - Let’s not get cute here. Bouanga remains the man to watch. He’s the engine that makes this whole thing go for LAFC as can be seen by his 25 contributions this season, 19 of which are goals. Bouanga is lethal in space and arguably the most dominant force in MLS when he’s bearing down on the defense with the ball at his feet. There’s no real way to stop Bouanga entirely, but he must be contained as best as possible. It’s time for us to see what Desler is made of, more on that in a moment.

Mateusz Bogusz - Let’s not get cute here (again). The kid is a stud and he’s absolutely on fire as of late, with 15 goal contributions in his last 14 games across all competitions. While he does not possess the raw speed and power that Bouanga has, he does have all the other intangibles you want in a star player. Great touch, deft striking, a nose for the goal, and great vision. He’s another player who thrives in space and makes defenses pay for their mistakes. 

Olivier Giroud - How could I go without bringing him up in this section as well. Giroud could very well be inactive for this match, but like we talked about on Sunday’s episode during the match preview segment, we expect him to appear off the bench. His resume speaks for itself and his number flashing up on the subsitution board on Wednesday night will spell trouble for Austin FC.

Austin FC Players to Watch

Sebastián Driussi - Big-time players step up in big-time matchups. Say what you will about Seba’s run of form prior to the beginning of Leagues Cup, but the guy comes to play when we face high-quality opponents. Austin will rely heavily on their number 10 to generate offense. With less than 30 full minutes of gameplay on the pitch next to our club-record signing, Osman Bukari, I’ll be keeping a close eye on how Driussi adapts to playing with another player of elite quality.

Osman Bukari - We saw the type of attention Bukari commands when he debuted against Charlotte FC. He is a gravitational force, and the first player Austin has ever had that rivals the speed and skill that the aforementioned LAFC players have across the board. Once again, I need to see how he meshes with Seba and vice versa. That chemistry could certainly take time to materialize fully, but I am absolutely in the camp that says Bukari will generate so many more clean looks for Seba, ultimately leading to sustained success in the coming seasons. In the short sample we’ve seen, Bukari attracts the attention of defenders and creates gaps in structures that you’d think Seba can gobble up to both of their advantages.

Mikkel Desler - We’ve long worried about the matchup at RB when the opponent is LAFC. Even in Jon Gallagher’s all-star season at the position in 2023, Bouanga bagged a hat trick against ATX at BMO Stadium. Now, there is at least hope that we’ve got a true monster at the position in Desler (a “shut-down corner” if you will, for our American football fans), ready to go toe-to-toe with not only Bouanga, but any of the numerous, uber-talented left wingers across MLS. This is his first major test against that level of individual MLS competition.

Austin FC Keys to the Game

Embrace the Underdog - We’ll be (rightfully) heavy dogs in this matchup, just as we were versus Monterrey and Pumas. But that didn’t stop ATX from remaining confident in their strategy and abilities during the group stage. With the way this tournament has progressed and seeing Austin get shafted having to go on the road even after winning the group, I hope the team leans in even further to the underdog mentality. Use the fact that the Leagues Cup organizers hosed us as further motivation to go up to LA and get the job done. Why not us?!

Unleash the Hounds - If you’ve followed this team all season, then you understand the vastly different approaches we have seen in regard to how the team plays on the road compared to when they’re at home. The team has been flat-out awful on the road at times, especially from a watchability standpoint, but let’s zoom out and look at this with some context. Those road matchups were all with a vastly undermanned roster that was not only lacking the necessary depth to survive a tightly-packed MLS schedule, but the talent required to be even an above average team in this league. That has all changed with the arrivals of Svatok, Desler, and Bukari. I expect to see an aggressive Austin team that does not hold anything back. After all, this is house money and we NEED to see where this team is in comparison to a club who has been consistently at the top of the league for years on end. In my eyes, this game is a gift for those reasons and for the others mentioned in this article, and I say we run with it. Let’s throw our best punch in a game that will not impact our standing in the MLS playoff race, live with the results, and make any necessary changes and adjustments when we travel to LA again on September 18th for a big Western Conference matchup. Nothing to lose for Austin FC on Wednesday night.

Predictions

E - 1-1 (Austin FC PK Win)

ZG - 2-2 (Austin FC PK Win)

Previous
Previous

Match Preview - Nashville SC

Next
Next

Match Preview - CF Monterrey