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Los Angeles FC assert their dominance in the MLS

By Shane McFarland

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21: Eduard Atuesta #20 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal during Los Angeles FC's MLS match against Seattle Sounders at the Banc of California Stadium on April 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21: Eduard Atuesta #20 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his goal during Los Angeles FC's MLS match against Seattle Sounders at the Banc of California Stadium on April 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images) /
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LAFC get back to their winning ways following a resounding victory at home…

Following their first loss of the season at Vancouver midweek, LAFC returned to the friendly confines of Banc of California Stadium on Easter Sunday and provided an absolute masterclass of a performance, thrashing the last unbeaten team in MLS, the Seattle Sounders, by a 4-1 scoreline.

Bob Bradley’s squad left little doubt as to who was the superior unit in the Western Conference, playing at a pace that Seattle simply could not match, applying sustained pressure for large periods of time in the Sounders’ final third.

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Early season MVP candidate Carlos Vela began the barrage in the 12th minute with a patented left foot finish off of a beautifully threaded ball by Mark-Anthony Kaye (his first of three assists on the day), beating Seattle’s depleted back line with ease. From there, there was very little let up from a dogged Los Angeles side out to prove something.

After a misguided pass that was deflected off of Kaye’s boot in Seattle’s half of the field in the 38th minute, 21-year old Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta easily bypassed a sliding defender and slotted home LAFC’s second goal of the night with power. The 2-0 score at halftime did not fully characterize what an overwhelming performance LAFC had put together in the first half.

The Sounders got one back in the early stages of the second half on a beautiful team movement that saw Harry Shipp beat LAFC keeper Tyler Miller to his right to make it 2-1, the only real threat that Seattle put together all day.

LAFC responded quickly in the 55th minute, Carlos Vela notching his second score of the day by beating Sounders’ keeper Stefan Frei in the box off of an almost identical through ball, this time from Atuesta. The goal marked Vela’s 10th tally in 9 matches this season. Going along with his 5 assists, Vela has now taken part in 15 of LAFC’s 25 goals this season.

Santa Ana native Christian Ramirez capped off the LAFC assault with his second goal of the season off of an anticipated give and go from Kaye sitting just outside the 18-yard box in the 61st minute, sending the team to their seventh win on the season and atop the Western Conference table by 4 points.

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As Fox Soccer analyst John Strong astutely pointed out during the broadcast, this was LAFC’s 11th time scoring 4 or more goals in an MLS match since their maiden voyage in 2018, most of any team in the league during that span. One would have to imagine that at this rate, the race to the Western Conference crown runs through a very stout Los Angeles team firing on cylinders.

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