Cristian Olivera scores an early goal for LAFC in its first game since its 13-match unbeaten streak ended last weekend, but RSL answers before halftime in a 1-1 tie that drops them both two points behind the Galaxy.
LAFC forward Cristian Olivera, right, celebrates with midfielder Timothy Tillman after Olivera scored a goal during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC midfielder Eduard Atuesta, right, vies for the ball against Real Salt Lake midfielder Anderson Julio during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz, left, chases the ball as Real Salt Lake midfielder Braian Ojeda defends during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna, right, controls the ball while under pressure from LAFC midfielder Ryan Hollingshead during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC defender Omar Campos, right, controls the ball during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC forward Cristian Olivera moves the ball up the field during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC forward Cristian Olivera, left, gets the ball past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath, right, before scoring on him during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC forward Cristian Olivera, not pictured, scores a goal during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC forward Cristian Olivera, left, celebrates with midfielder Timothy Tillman after scoring a goal during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC forward Cristian Olivera, center, vies for the ball during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Aaron Long, left, looks to pass the ball during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead, top, heads the ball during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. The teams played to a 1-1 tie. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Real Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera, right, takes a shot on goal as LAFC defender Omar Campos helps defend during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Real Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera, not pictured, scores a goal past LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Real Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera, left, celebrates his goal with midfielder Maikel Chang, center, while midfielder Nelson Palacio watches during the first half of their MLS match against LAFC on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Real Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera is mobbed by teammates after he scored a goal during the first half of their MLS match against LAFC on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman, left, and Real Salt Lake midfielder Nelson Palacio battle for the ball during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris kicks the ball up the field during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC midfielder Ryan Hollingshead, left, and Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna battle for the ball during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz, right, controls the ball during the first half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Aaron Long, left, and Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna vie for a header during the first half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC forward David Martínez kicks the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Eddie Segura, right, recovers the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, center, looks on from the sideline during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Omar Campos heads the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead, center, recovers the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Real Salt Lake defender Brayan Vera, left, and LAFC forward Kei Kamara try to head the ball during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC midfielder Ilie Sánchez, left, heads the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, right, moves the ball past Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC forward Kei Kamara, right, vies for the ball with Real Salt Lake midfielder Bode Hidalgo (19) during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead, right, recovers the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC midfielder Ryan Hollingshead, right, kicks the ball as Real Salt Lake midfielder Braian Ojeda, left, and defender Brayan Vera defend during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC midfielder Ilie Sánchez, left, kicks the ball as Real Salt Lake midfielder Anderson Julio, right, defends during the second half on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC forward Kei Kamara, left, and Real Salt Lake midfielder Nelson Palacio battle for the ball during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Real Salt Lake defender Philip Quinton, left, heads the ball as LAFC forward Kei Kamara misses during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC midfielder Eduard Atuesta, left, reaches for the ball as Real Salt Lake midfielder Nelson Palacio goes after it during the second half of their MLS match on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LAFC defender Aaron Long, top center, heads the ball during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LAFC defender Omar Campos looks on as fans in the stands hold up cell phones with lights on during the second half of their MLS match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LOS ANGELES — Tied atop the MLS Western Conference, the second match of the regular-season series between the Los Angeles Football Club and Real Salt Lake did little to separate the two.
Following a wild, snow-filled loss in Salt Lake City during their second game of the season in early March, LAFC attempted to get one back against RSL while regrouping from Saturday’s shellacking against Columbus, ultimately settling for a 1-1 draw that left both LAFC (13-5-5) and RSL (12-4-8) at 44 points, two points behind the Galaxy (13-5-7).
Both teams hold at least a game in hand on the Galaxy (LAFC has played two fewer matches).
Starting the potent attack of Denis Bouanga, Mateusz Bogusz and Cristian Olivera for the first time since June 1, LAFC came out as expected with bursts of energy and creative combinations.
Fresh off an intense month-long stint with the Uruguayan national team, which finished third in the just completed Copa America, Olivera’s speed and relentless motor helped put LAFC on the scoreboard in the fifth minute.
A 60-yard ball over the top of Real Salt Lake’s defenders from Eduard Atuesta gave Olivera room to make a play the moment visiting goalkeeper Zac MacMath took an indecisive touch outside the box.
While MacMath scrambled back to his net, the 22-year-old winger turned, with his back to goal, and cut back a mid-trajectory chip shot that hopped in for his fifth goal of the season.
“It’s not something I had in mind, scoring so fast,” Olivera said. “But he definitely came out of his goal box and the play happened as it did.”
LAFC maintained its energy through the opening 15 minutes until midfielder Timothy Tillman was taken off the field with an apparent injury to his left leg.
Bogusz, who had been tapped to sit underneath Bouanga and Olivera in the match plan, was moved back to the midfield when Kei Kamara entered.
“Unfortunately, in moments like this your ideas get thrown out the window a few minutes into the game,” said LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, who suggested that a fatigued Black & Gold midfield was getting run over by opponents recently. “We reacted but it wasn’t ideal.
“Timmy’s injury put us in a tough spot.”
With the MLS summer transfer window opening on Thursday, Cherundolo expects LAFC to “absolutely strengthen ourselves, also in the middle of the park.”
From the point Tillman was taken off, LAFC appeared slower, more predictable and less dangerous against an opponent that arrived at BMO Stadium missing its most dangerous scoring options.
Without the league’s leading goal scorer, former LAFC fan favorite Cristian “Chicho” Arango, or winger Andrés Gómez, RSL trotted out a starting lineup with just 19 combined goals on the season.
Arango had scored 17 goals himself prior to MLS suspending the Colombian per the terms of the league’s anti-harassment policy, while Gómez notched 11.
The start of a three-game ban for Arango (plus next week’s All-Star festivities in Columbus) forced RSL to find other ways to get back into the game.
“Obviously it was going to be difficult from that perspective,” RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “It’s not only that they score goals and set up goals but it’s also the amount of attention they garner on the field.”
In the 33rd minute, RSL caught a break it had to have.
From 36 yards out, defender Brayan Vera’s first goal of the season came with a heavily struck line drive free kick that took a slight touch in the box off LAFC midfielder Ilie Sanchez, redirecting the ball past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
“Who’s going to score tonight? Who knows?” Mastroeni said. “We didn’t know before the game but we felt like if we put together a really good performance it could have been any of the guys up front, any of the guys in the middle, and tonight it just happened to be Vera.”
LAFC center back Aaron Long chalked it up to “just one of those fluke, unlucky goals.” Otherwise, it was another mostly quiet contest for Lloris, who made two saves while MacMath stopped four, including a one-on-one moment against Bouanga in the 27th minute and a diving block on a quality strike by Bogusz before halftime.
The scoreline did not budge for the next 60-plus minutes as Salt Lake, sans Arango or Gómez, pressured the LAFC back line, amassing 18 shots to LAFC’s nine, five of which hit the target.
It was the second time in 15 games this season that LAFC dropped points despite scoring first.
“We had chances to win but we lacked clarity and ideas, and overall we needed more patience as well,” said Olivera, who played 68 minutes. “I think we fell into their game, kicking long balls, second balls. We didn’t focus on our game, possession, touching and looking for those opportunities.”
UP NEXT
LAFC heads to Seattle on Saturday to play its last regular-season match prior to the beginning of the Leagues Cup tournament on July 26 against Club Tijuana at BMO Stadium.
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