LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t the grand stage the Los Angeles Football Club had grown accustomed to during its previous six matches at the Banc of California Stadium – the field was worn from a weekend concert, there were no pyrotechnics, the supporters in the North End couldn’t use much of their cordoned off section as the facility prepares for another weekend of non-soccer festivities, and the West concourse and upper tier of the South concourse went unused – but the Black & Gold earned its first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory 2-0 over the United Soccer League’s Fresno FC.
LAFC entered the fourth round of the oldest knockout tournament in American soccer alongside 19 other MLS teams and 12 remaining clubs that advanced through three previous rounds of the 105th installment of the open tournament that this year featured 94 professional and amateur teams.
LAFC’s opening goal occurred in the 53rd minute off a corner kick from Aaron Kovar. During a scramble in front of the 6-yard box, defender Dejan Jakovic headed the ball the down at the feet of Fresno FC goalkeeper Kyle Reynish, allowing Diego Rossi to streak across the net and tap it in.
Four minutes later Latif Blessing made it 2-0, hammering home his third goal of 2018 for LAFC, a low shot that sailed past Ryenish.
LAFC controlled possession in the Fresno part of the field, taking several chances at Reynish, however the starting attackers – Lee Nguyen, Adama Diomande and Latif Blessing – were met with a resistance at the appropriate moment.
Fresno FC remained tight in its tactics and formation as it tried to hold shape while LAFC held the ball. In the opening half the home team owned possession. At the end of 90 minutes, LAFC had possession 69 percent of the time, and got off 15 shots to Fresno’s 12 (11 of which came in the second half).
The Foxes – the first professional soccer club out of California’s Central Valley – bow out of the tournament following a pair of overtime victories. In USL play they have earned 15 points (3-4-6) and sit in 11th place out of 17 teams in the Western Conference.
In the closing moments of the first half, LAFC threatened with a long ball into the box. Diomande streaked toward the 6-yard box and took a knee from a Fresno defender. The Norwegian striker had to be helped off the field and was evaluated for a head injury.
Rossi was substituted on in his place to begin the second half. LAFC coach Bob Bradley also inserted Shaft Brewer for Aaron Kovar (63rd minute) and Mark-Anthony Kaye for Eduard Atuesta (77th minute).
Fresno used all three of its substitutes as it attempted to rally in the second half.
A draw for the fifth round of the U.S. Open Cup will take place Thursday. LAFC returns to Major League Soccer competition on Saturday when it travels to the struggling San Jose Earthquakes (2-8-3, 9 points) in its last match until June 23.
More to come on this story.
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