MLS Recap | LAFC 2-1 FC Cincinnati 4/24/22

Phil West

Luciano Acosta and Kellyn Acosta traded goals in the first hour, then Danny Musovski found a late winner for LAFC to move back into the Supporters' Shield lead with a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on Sunday evening.

No. 2 SuperDraft pick Roman Celentano, making his first-ever MLS start, looked up for the challenge in the opening 45, making two saves and keeping a clean sheet through halftime. His counterpart Maxime Crépeau couldn't say the same, with a costly stoppage-time giveaway leading to Lucho Acosta's opener.

LAFC finally got on the board in the 59th minute, with Kellyn Acosta firing in a set-piece rebound from the 18 through traffic that was absolutely keeper-proof. Then, in the 79th, Musovski finished off a run with two great Carlos Vela passes including a backheel flick to take the lead. FCC made some valiant efforts to grab an equalizer, but LAFC held firm through a very chippy end of the match.

GOALS

45' + 3' – CIN – Luciano Acosta
59' – LAFC – Kellyn Acosta
79' – LAFC – Danny Musovski

THREE THINGS

THE BIG PICTURE: LAFC looked like they might suffer an upset for a while, but then got themselves right with two second-half goals to move back into the Supporters’ Shield lead after Austin briefly surpassed them with a Saturday night win over Vancouver. Though the composition of the Western Conference standings is currently a little surprising with several stalwarts missing, LAFC’s talent is evident and it appears they might hold on to the top position throughout the season. While FCC looks better, and Celentano showed himself to be a great SuperDraft pickup, this had the potential to be a historic win and it dissolved in the second 45 after a promising first 45.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The match winner was a thing of beauty, and shows what LAFC are capable of in special moments even if they’re not scoring in bunches.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Vela added an assist to his career MLS tally, tantalizingly close to the 100 goals + assist mark, and set up teammates for chances throughout the match.