MLS Cup Playoff action continued Sunday evening as Orlando defeated Charlotte, while LAFC take on Vancouver in the opening game of the respective series.
Here is what has gone down so far.
LAFC 2-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
Scorers: Bouanga (P) 30′, Olivera 57′ ; Guald 90+4′
LAFC were at their brilliant best on the break in the opening 45 minutes, but struggled to find the final pass to kill off their visitors from north of the border.
Luck was on their side however, as a Mateusz Bogusz shot ricocheted off of the arm of a Vancouver defender, forcing the referee to award the hosts a penalty after a VAR review.
While LAFC talisman Denis Bouanga stepped up and coolly dispatched the spot-kick to give the home side the lead, the hosts may have felt fortunate to take a lead into the break after Vancouver struck the woodwork twice.
The Whitecaps were punished for their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal however, as LAFC doubled their lead before the hour mark when Cristian Olivera capped off a superb counter-attack by roofing the ball from an acute angle.
The Caps nabbed a goal through Ryan Gauld in the dying seconds of the affair, but it was merely consolation for the Pacific Northwest outfit.
The win sees LAFC take one step towards a series victory, and they can close it out in Vancouver in a week’s time.
Orlando City 2-0 Charlotte FC
Scorers: Torres 32′, Ojeda 76′
It was all Orlando from the opening whistle, as the Óscar Pareja’s side pushed to take advantage of their home-field advantage in the opening game of the series.
Their front-foot start bore fruit past the half-hour mark when star-man Facundo Torres took down across in style before firing home the opener of the series.
While Charlotte pushed to find a leveler and perhaps force penalties away from home, they were undone in the final 15 minutes thanks to a dagger from MartÃn Ojeda, who struck to put the game to bed.
To make matters worse, Pep Biel was shown a red-card in stoppage-time, meaning the winger will be missing for game two.
Attention will now turn to Charlotte, who will host game two of the series as they look to draw level in front of their boisterous home fans next weekend.