LOS Angeles – The stars were in the stands and on the field at the BMO Stadium on Wednesday evening while the CONCACAF Champions Cup returned to a sumptuous quarter -final between the Los Angeles Football Club and Inter Miami Cf. of Lionel Messi.
Despite the many familiar faces operating on both sides of the ball, it was Nathan Ordaz de Lafc, a 21 -year -old local product from Van Nuys, who drew attention.
Ordaz’s goal in the 57th minute resisted as the LAFC has outstripped and smothered the unbeaten herons before, saying a 1-0 critical victory in the first leg of the series with two games in front of a closed shopping crowds of 22,207.
Receiving the ball in the middle of the field, Ordaz turned to the goal while holding the emblematic Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets. Three fast keys gave Ordaz the part he needed to hit a hit at 24 meters that cleared the diving of the Argentine diving, the outstretched arms of the Argentinian goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
At this point, none of the teams had made an openly dangerous chance, but not for lack of effort or quality.
The objective came then that Lafc increased Miami’s temperature, whose inability to connect through Messi and Suarez with more Shakes of the head and looks to the sky than blows to the goal.
The LAFC midfielder did his job and the team’s collective defense was sufficient to keep it aimlessly throughout the first half, when the team of coach Steve Cherundolo took a balanced tone – avoiding the traps of excessive suragression and the trap of shyness.
Lafc and Ordaz also benefited from the decision of the Jamaican referee Oshane Nation not to penalize the young person who started in the middle of the attack between Denis Bouanga and Cengiz ünder.
A skirmish with the defender of Inter Miami Maxi Falcón halfway through the first half led to a video review for a red card, but Nation judged that the offense of an arm in the face required only a yellow. Cherundolo has shown great confidence in Ordaz, leaving him in the match until the 90th minute when Marlon entered to provide defensive insurance.
The best looks in Miami came on the free kicks at the top of the box, one of which in stopping times that Messi struck on the transverse bar.
The series featuring two of the best MLS teams now going to the Chase Lauderdale stadium, where another solid performance by Lafc could send the club to the semi-finals against the Whitecaps of Vancouver or Pumas de Liga MX, who played a 1-1 draw during their first leg.
More to come to this story.
California Daily Newspapers
