Weakened LAFC wants to quickly get back to competing against Houston – Daily News

LOS ANGELES – A few box fans placed on chairs didn’t help much, and the opposite could hardly be said.

Two days before the Los Angeles Football Club traveled to Houston for a rematch of the regular season game at BMO Stadium that they lost 2-0 last weekend, the area on the west side of the convention center, where players and coaches speak to the media, was particularly stuffy due to a heat warning with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

As usual, after practice at the club's training facility on the Cal State LA campus, lunch was prepared on an outdoor grill a few feet from where coach Steve Cherundolo sat, transforming the awning that thankfully blocked out the direct sunlight into a greenhouse canvas that kept the temperature at a delicious few degrees.

“I think the fans are counterproductive,” Cherundolo said unprompted.

The trainer jokingly said they were there to give Cherundolo a taste of the day's menu and rightly asked, “Why smell when you can taste? Just go in and try a bite.”

LAFC fans had similar expectations after four consecutive cup finals as runners-up, but they also know that Cherundolo's team has at least one more chance at a trophy in 2024 with the US Open Cup later this month.

Meanwhile, for LAFC (14-6-5, 47 points), league competition is the most important thing on their minds, even if their Supporters' Shield hopes were dented last weekend by an opponent that has outscored them in regular-season games for over two seasons.

With a good result at the Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday night, Cherundolo's group can avoid losing six points to Ben Olsen's side for the second year in a row.

Travel to Houston is rare in the summer because it is much hotter near the Pacific than on the Gulf Coast. But that is the case now because a July 7 meeting in Texas had to be postponed because of Hurricane Beryl.

While LA is simmering, six contributors, including key attackers, are on international duty: Dénis Bouanga (Gabon), Cristian Olivera (Uruguay), Mateusz Bogusz (Poland), David Martínez (Venezuela), Maxime Chanot (Luxembourg) and Omar Campos (Mexico U-22).

Except for Olivera, who was playing in the Copa America at the time, five of the six international players started when LAFC visited Houston, shortly after beating the Galaxy in the Rose Bowl.

Last weekend, all six were on the field as a depleted group, playing for the sixth time in 19 days, letting Houston (11-8-7, 40 points) control the ball and break through their lines.

With no games scheduled during the week, the extra rest could result in the second-highest number of call-ups from an MLS squad to the senior international team this transfer window.

Assuming everyone returns healthy, LAFC will have a full complement of players for the decisive “El Trafico” game on September 15 against the Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

On Saturday, however, the options will be limited, except in midfield.