Red-hot LAFC ready to take on Galaxy at Rose Bowl – Whittier Daily News

LAFC midfielder Ryan Hollingshead, left, moves the ball against Galaxy midfielder Tyler Boyd during the second half on July 4, 2023, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)

Undaunted by the opportunity to make a statement against the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on July 4, the Los Angeles Football Club enters and hopes to emerge from the derby on solid footing.

“We know exactly what we’re capable of,” LAFC midfielder Ilie Sanchez said, “and we’re just going to go our way, no matter what happens on Thursday.”

“Honestly, I think they are the ones who are waiting for this statement more than us,” added the 33-year-old Spaniard. “We are not looking for it at all. I think it is a match that comes at an important moment of the season, when both teams seem to be in good shape, but I would say that if we win the match it can hurt them more than if they win the match.

Looking to extend its unbeaten streak to 12 games in all competitions, and 10 straight in MLS since early May, LAFC moved atop the West with a 4-0-1 record in June.

After outscoring its MLS opponents 22-4 over that span, LAFC (12-4-4) is tied at 40 points with its resurgent rival, the five-time MLS champions who have lost just once in their last 11 league appearances, winning six of their last seven.

“I think that’s the way everybody has it,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “It’s more exciting toward the end of the season and in the playoffs it’s even better, but right now it’s great.”

Playing at the Rose Bowl again after last year’s record-breaking event — 82,110 fans, the largest crowd in MLS history, saw Galaxy star Riqui Puig score the game-winning goal — was actually LAFC’s decision.

Since the Galaxy had hosted the event in 2023, LAFC had the prerogative this time around. In discussions with MLS and the Galaxy, the parties discussed playing the game at either the LA Memorial Coliseum or SoFi Stadium. Ultimately, they settled on a Rose Bowl remake.

“It’s a really special game,” said LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, one of four MLS players to score 20 or more goals this season, earning him a second straight All-Star nomination. “First of all, it’s the Fourth of July, so we know it’s important for the United States. It’s also an away game, but we know there’s going to be a big, big atmosphere. I can’t wait.”

“We know we lost last time, but this time we are ready to win and we can continue on the good path we followed in the first game of the season.”

LAFC’s busy July schedule includes a handful of league games, a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal and a pair of Leagues Cup group stage matches to round out the schedule.

“We can’t stop at this point in the season,” said LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was selected to join Bouanga in Columbus, Ohio, later this month as an MLS All-Star. “We have to go for it. I think July is very important for the team because we’re going to play some big opponents and that’s going to start against the Galaxy.”

Six of their eight dates, including the Independence Day game in Pasadena, will require LAFC players and coaches to sleep in their own beds for most of the next few weeks.

Along with trips to Houston on Sunday and Seattle on July 20, the packed but favorable schedule gives LAFC an opportunity to solidify itself as a Supporters’ Shield contender and the preeminent team in the Western Conference.

This comes with the realisation that, despite the intensity and expectations surrounding the rivalry with El Trafico, from a standings perspective, Thursday’s match is as good as any league contest.

What would a second win this year against the Galaxy (11-3-7) mean after LAFC’s 2-1 triumph at BMO Stadium in April?