Weekend preview: LAFC must get back on track vs. Atlanta
Los Angeles FC will try to get over last week’s “Zlataning” when they face reigning champs Atlanta United on Friday night on ESPN, while Houston’s magic man Mauro Manotas tries to continue Seattle’s misery and D.C. United welcome back a rested Wayne Rooney when they meet Chicago.
Here’s what to watch for in MLS Week 21.
The Hangover, Part III
Though Los Angeles FC have been wildly successful in their short MLS lifetime, there’s still the nagging matter that they have yet to beat city rivals Los Angeles Galaxy. Last Friday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic backed up all the talk and put LAFC to the sword with a hat trick in a 3-2 win, giving Bob Bradley & Co. flashbacks to last season when LAFC squandered three-goal and two-goal leads against the Galaxy in their fixtures.
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Perhaps not talked about enough is the lasting damage that could come from last Friday’s loss. The old saying from any coach is not to let one loss beat you twice, yet that’s what happened last season to LAFC. A week after Ibrahimovic’s superman debut brace, LAFC promptly went to Atlanta and got thumped 5-0. The 2-2 draw last July, in which LAFC held a 2-0 lead going into the final 10 minutes, was also followed up with more pain in the form of losses to the New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City.
Though LAFC couldn’t reverse their fate against the Galaxy, they can stop the hangover and use Atlanta United as their personal Alka-Seltzer when the two sides meet on Friday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). Three points in front of the home fans against a quality opponent would go a long way toward erasing their Zlatan nightmares for the moment, but it certainly won’t be easy.
It’s been a rocky debut MLS season for Atlanta playmaker Pity Martinez but something clicked last week when he came off the bench to score and add an assist in a 2-0 win over DC United. It might have been enough to earn a spot back in coach Frank de Boer‘s starting XI and Martinez was always one to shine in big games at River Plate. Atlanta fans will certainly hope that last week wasn’t a false dawn.
Houston’s Manotas magic show
The Houston Dynamo may have the league’s lowest team payroll but that doesn’t mean they are lacking for quality. For an example, look no further than Mauro Manotas, who has been one of the league’s most consistent performers, with 10 goals in 2017 and 19 goals in 2018. Yet it really wasn’t until this week when most folks outside of Houston’s Beltway 8 took notice of the Colombian, thanks in large part to his golazo against Toronto FC.
At age 24, Manotas is poised to be one of Major League Soccer’s better bits of business whenever he gets sold. Rumored to have a $7 million price tag, Manotas has heavy interest from Liga MX side Cruz Azul but after last week’s “wondergoal,” the chances are good that the price has gone up.
Manotas’ next act comes at home on Saturday against the Seattle Sounders (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+), who would like nothing better than to get over last Sunday’s 2-1 home loss to rivals Portland. Considering that seven of Manotas’ eight goals this season have come at home, Seattle’s defense will have to be the ones to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
The rewards of a rested Rooney
An interesting thing happened last week in the nation’s capital when D.C. United boss Ben Olsen elected to give Wayne Rooney a rest, allowing the superstar striker to sit out last Sunday’s visit to Atlanta and recover from minor injuries while at home in his native England.
Resting star players is nothing new when a team is involved in multiple competitions but with D.C. United only involved in MLS play, the decision raised an eyebrow or two. But this is a smart move by Olsen, as the summer heat and a build-up of minor injuries have likely exacted a toll on the 33-year-old.
Rooney has shown in the last year that he’s not in MLS just for the paycheck so a more rested, healthy and appreciative Rooney will only help. D.C. United head to the Windy City on Saturday to face the Chicago Fire (8 p.m ET, ESPN+), who have won just one league match out of their last 11.