Austin FC Falls to Los Angeles FC
October 30, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Austin FC News Release
Austin, TEXAS – Austin FC fell 3-0 to Los Angeles FC in the 2022 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final on Sunday afternoon at Banc of California Stadium.
LAFC took the lead in the 29th-minute when Cristian Arango found space in the box to head in a Carlos Vela corner kick. Brad Stuver made a pair of solid saves before halftime to keep the Verde & Black in the match, denying Vela and Jose Cifuentes.
Stuver came up with another big stop on Ryan Hollingshead early in the second half as Austin grew into the game. The visitors’ momentum was derailed though when an unfortunate deflection gave LAFC its second goal.
Diego Fagundez was then brought down in the box and the referee was instructed to consult VAR, but ruled that the contact was not sufficient to warrant a penalty.
LAFC substitute Kwadwo Opoku sealed the result for the home side in the 81st-minute with the team’s third goal. Despite the defeat, Austin had a historic second season in MLS, tying the record for the largest points improvement by a second-year expansion club in league history and becoming only the third team in league history to advance in its first two postseason matches.
Goal-Scoring Summary
LAFC (1-0) – Cristian Arango (assisted by Carlos Vela) 29′
LAFC (2-0) – Own goal 62′
LAFC (3-0) – Kwadwo Opoku (unassisted) 81′
Misconduct Summary
ATX – Nick Lima (yellow card) 31′
ATX – Emiliano Rigoni (yellow card) 34′
LAFC – Carlos Vela (yellow card) 54′
ATX – Maxi Urruti (yellow card) 90′
Media Assets
Austin FC Post-Match Press Conference
Los Angeles FC vs. Austin FC | Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final
Banc of California Stadium (Los Angeles, CA) | October 30, 2022
Lineups
Austin FC: Brad Stuver, Jon Gallagher (Owen Wolff 83′), Ruben Gabrielsen, Julio Cascante, Nick Lima, Dani Pereira (Felipe 72′), Alex Ring ©, Sebastián Driussi, Diego Fagundez (Danny Hoesen 83′), Moussa Djitté (Maxi Urruti 61′), Emiliano Rigoni (Ethan Finlay 61′)
Substitutes not used: Andrew Tarbell, Jhohan Romaña, Hector Jimenez, Jhojan Valencia
Head Coach: Josh Wolff
TOTAL SHOTS: 7; SHOTS ON GOAL: 1; FOULS: 12; OFFSIDE: 1; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 7
Los Angeles FC: Maxime Crepeau, Jesus Murillo, Diego Palacios (Franco Escobar 85′), Giorgio Chiellini (Sebastien Ibeagha 46′), Ryan Hollingshead, Ilie Sanchez, Jose Cifuentes, Kellyn Acosta, Cristian Arango (Kwadwo Opoku 71′), Carlos Vela © (Sebastian Mendez 77′), Denis Bouanga
Substitutes not used: John McCarthy, Latif Blessing, Gareth Bale, Antonio Leone, Cristian Tello
Head Coach: Steve Cherundolo
TOTAL SHOTS: 22; SHOTS ON GOAL: 10; FOULS: 17; OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 11; SAVES: 1
Match Information Referee: Armando Villarreal Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Kieso 4th Official: Rubiel Vazquez VAR: Tim Ford Assistant VAR: TJ Zablocki Weather: Sunny, 73 degrees Statistical source: MLSsoccer.com / Opta
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.