LAFC heads to Houston hoping to feel the heat – Daily News

LAFC’s Mateusz Bogusz, front right, is brought down by Houston’s Luis Caicedo, left, during the second half on June 14, 2023, at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Following an emotional and nerve-racking Fourth of July win over the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Football Club heads to hot and humid Houston for a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Final on Sunday.

After falling to the Houston Dynamo twice in less than a week during the regular season last year, LAFC won when it mattered most with a 2-0 triumph at BMO Stadium in early December that sent the club to its second straight MLS Cup.

Between El Tráfico and a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match on Wednesday, LAFC’s first meeting with Houston this season presents the hosts with a chance to become the first team to beat the Black and Gold in more than a dozen games since early May.

“We haven’t traditionally done well there and we’re looking to change that,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said Saturday as his team prepared to travel to Texas.

In MLS, LAFC took five of 15 points in Houston and also lost a U.S. Open Cup semifinal match in 2018.

Houston has lost once in its last seven games, a 3-2 loss to Real Salt Lake on July 3, and sits in seventh place in the West.

“We know we can respond,” Houston center back Erik Sviatchenko said. “We have a solid group that is playing at a high level.

“We need a full stadium. It might be good to play against LAFC to put them under pressure at Shell Energy.”

The Dynamo (8-7-6, 30 points) have held their own in the league despite injuries along the defensive line. Under coach Ben Olsen, who took over last year and proceeded to lift the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Houston has allowed the third-fewest goals in its conference while using a possession-based style to control games.

“Even at home, they put pressure on us,” LAFC midfielder Ilie Sanchez said. “We had to play a very complete game to be able to advance to the MLS Cup. Plus, they play at home and they always show their best when they play in Houston, not just against LAFC but against any other opponent in this league. I remember going there with Kansas City and having a tough time getting results there, and again with LAFC it was the same struggle.”

For Houston, fullback Franco Escobar, a member of LAFC’s 2022 MLS Cup champion team, will not play due to yellow card accumulation.

As challenging as the Dynamo may be, no team in MLS has been a bigger challenge for opponents over the past two months than LAFC, which has allowed the fewest goals in the West (24) and is tied for second in the league (43).

In an attempt to extend its club-record unbeaten streak, which stands at 12 in all competitions, LAFC “is doing everything we can to keep the same mentality, the same attitude and discipline because we know that’s the shortest path to getting the results,” Sanchez said.

Cherundolo’s starting lineup has been consistent over the past three games, though changes could be made on Sunday and then Wednesday for the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against New Mexico United at BMO Stadium.