LOS ANGELES — Hosting San Diego FC for the first time, the Los Angeles Football Club had grand plans.
Their guests had something else in mind.
With South Korean superstar Son Heung-min’s home debut garnering the bulk of the attention at BMO Stadium on Sunday, Western Conference-leading SDFC, which defeated LAFC (11-7-8, 41 points) in March to become the first expansion team to beat the Black & Gold, it was the visitors who stole the show, winning 2-1.
Anders Dreyer scored the game-winner and assisted on Hirving Lozano’s goal, topping LAFC, which got on the board thanks to Denis Bouanga.
The defeat dropped LAFC 15 points behind San Diego (17-7-5, 56 points) with eight games remaining.
In front of a heavily Korean crowd that was restless to watch LAFC after four weeks without a home match, Son’s companions in the attack combined for the game’s opening goal in the 15th minute.
From 40 yards out, David Martínez found Bouanga down the middle with a chipped pass that bounced once inside the box before the Frenchman tipped it over goalkeeper CJ dos Santos for his 15th goal of the regular season.
To that point, neither side had established dominance. Both moved from one end to the other, with San Diego preferring quick passing in small spaces to LAFC’s more direct attacks.
Shortly after the half-hour mark, a few minutes after Bouanga nearly scored his second, SDFC drew level thanks to their big-name international star, Mexico’s Hirving Lozano. Circling around LAFC center back Nkosi Tafari, Lozano collected a first-time volley over the top by Anders Dreyer to threaten Hugo Lloris. Tafari attempted to get back and defend, but for the second straight week, the opponents scored on a shot that deflected off the center back’s long legs past LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Son’s clearest opportunity of the opening 45 minutes came near the end. With LAFC swarming about the San Diego box, Bouanga had a crack that was blocked. The ball worked its way to Son, who turned and put it on his left foot. Son’s shot was hit well, enough to make his supporters in the stands cry out in anticipation, but it lacked the pace or placement to give LAFC an edge at the half.
Six hundred SDFC traveling supporters banged on their drums while LAFC’s 3252 supporters group showed its passion, and the teams pushed and pulled one another, looking to break the deadlock.
In the 66th minute, it was San Diego that capitalized on a chance when Dreyer added his 14th goal to go with his 18th assist from the Lozano finish. The MLS most valuable player contender received a long ball in behind, charged into the box, cut back once, smoothly let another defender slide by, and put away his left-footed shot.
LAFC fought to salvage a point, but opportunities came and went.
Son slammed a shot off the post in the 78th minute.
In the 82nd, Bouanga found himself alone in the opponent’s box but couldn’t get the ball out of his feet before the San Diego goalkeeper closed him down.
The two attackers, joined by Nathan Ordaz from the 54th minute on when Martínez got the bad end of a 50/50 duel, created havoc through the remainder of regulation and nine minutes of stoppage time. However, they didn’t create a second goal, leaving them where they began the weekend, fifth in the west.
