Laftc Directed in its eighth MLS season on Saturday with more questions than answers, of which few were resolved during its 1-0 victory against the Minnesota United before a crowd cut in the sun of 22,310 at the BMO Stadium.
The only objective came from the newcomer Jeremy Ebobisse in the 78th minute. On the other side, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was called upon to make only two stops in the recording of his 13th bleaching since he entered MLS last season.
And although it left Lafc a record of the 8-0 league in seasonal opening, it did not make any doubts to know if the team is good enough to return to the MLS Cup final For a third time in four seasons.
It is because Another busy off -season SAW Managing Director John Thorrington Participates with 15 players, including three of the four top scorers on the team and two of its three best fields. As a result, four of the 11 players who started on Saturday were not with the team to start last season.
These new players will have to intervene to replace what the team has lost – in particular the 16 goals and eight assists Mateusz Bogusz contributed before leaving for Cruz Azul of Mexico last month on a transferred transfer of $ 9 million – if Lafc must rely on the success which allowed him to win more games, score more goals and win more points than any other team since his entry in 2018.
Ebobisse, signed as a free agent in December, was the newcomer who intensified on Saturday.
“The objectives can come from many different places, and I have to do my job to take advantage of the opportunities when they come,” he said. “We are ready to make this challenge. And I think that with the depth and amount of experience we have in the locker room, as soon as we are going to click and understand the trends of the other, we will mark a lot of goals.”
During the last four winters, coach Steve Cherundolo made these list maquarits work. But this task has not become easier over time.
“It's a lot of work,” he said. “And frankly, five weeks of pre-season are not enough. So this process will continue and goes. It is not ideal, but it is only one of those things that we have to face in this league because of the rules we have. We accept that.
The list may not be the only thing that changes this year. In the first three seasons of Cherundolo, Lafc preferred to give up possession and the attack in transition. But against Minnesota United, playing with a new midfielder rooted by Mark Delgado And Igor Jesus, Lafc had the ball for almost an hour from the 90 minutes.
“Having more possession this year was something we talked about trying to improve,” said Cherundolo. “We did a great job of this. If we can create more chances with this possession, this is our next step.
“Marky and Igor did an excellent job to control the game.
On Saturday, this midfielder has struggled to slow down the rapid minnesota attackers at the start, but was bailed out when Kelvin YeboahThe shooting of the left foot struck the right post and carved through the goal in the 13th minute. A minute later, an attempted clearance hit Yeboah in the box and turned to the goal, forcing Lloris to tear it from the air.
After 70 minutes aimed in which the teams combined to put only four of the 21 shots on goal, the match decidedly decided in favor of Lafc when Nathan Ordaz entered for David Martínez. Ordaz, 21, a product from the Lafc Academy, immediately opened the defense of Minnesota, pulling a yellow card and putting a kick in its first five minutes. Its straight speed has also helped create the space that Ebobisse has exploited for its objective.
“Everyone has their own attributes that help the team,” said Ordaz, who had a goal and three assists in just 372 minutes last season. “I'm quite fast. I like shopping. So this kind helped the team move a little. People were probably worried about it. ”
He obtained his first decisive pass from the new season when his perfect pass put the ball on the left foot of Ebobisse at the top of the box, installing the shot that escaped the Minnesota Dayne St. Clair goalkeeper. The second assist on the score went to Denis Bouanga, although it was Delgado who made the game possible, releasing Bouanga on the left side with a low ball through.
Then, Bouanga, whose resemblance was given to the fans in the form of a Bobblehead, said he was satisfied with victory and memory.
“It looks like me,” he said with a smile at the Bobblehead. “I wouldn't change anything.”
As for the development of chemistry with its new teammates, “it will take some time,” he said.
Time, however, is not on the side of Lafc. The team plays again on Tuesday, needing to overcome a deficit in a goal in the second match of a two -leg qualifiers with the Rapids du Colorado to go to the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
