The last time Minnesota United played at LAFC’s BMO Stadium, the Loons lost 5-1, Denis Bouanga scored a first-half hat trick for the home side, and head coach Adrian Heath was fired before he could coach another game for MNUFC.
Minnesota won’t see Wednesday night’s 2-0 loss as progress, even if it’s an improvement on the scoreline – and manager Eric Ramsay is keeping his job.
Bouanga’s first-half penalty was the game-winner, as LAFC ended Minnesota’s six-game undefeated streak. After a pair of impressive road wins had briefly made Ramsay look like the master of MLS away games, the Loons managed just a single point on their two-game road trip to Colorado and Los Angeles.
As the Western Conference standings begin to shake out, the Loons find themselves looking up at the three teams that increasingly appear to be the West’s best – Real Salt Lake, the LA Galaxy, and LAFC, all of whom have taken points from Minnesota this year.
Bouanga didn’t need help to get a look at the Minnesota goal, rolling up a handful of scoring chances – but the Loons helped him anyway. For the second consecutive game, DJ Taylor gave away a penalty kick. This time, unlike against Colorado, Dayne St. Clair couldn’t bail him out. Taylor clipped Bouanga, tracking back on defense, and Bouanga made no mistake from the penalty spot, putting LAFC up 1-0 in the 38th minute.
After a second half in which LAFC had chance after chance on the counter-attack, the Black and Gold finally got a second goal with 10 minutes to go in the game. Mateusz Bogusz, after another counter, rocketed a 30-yard shot into the top corner of St. Clair’s goal, doubling the lead.
In a game in which the Loons had just two shots on target, neither of them a particularly inviting chance, while LAFC piled up attack after attack, a 2-0 score was probably the least the home team could expect. It was also the fourth consecutive clean sheet for LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
