Kwadwo Opoku and Carlos Vela score in the first half, and LAFC beats Seattle, 2-1, on Friday night in the home debuts of European superstars Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale.
LOS ANGELES — For the bulk of the Major League Soccer season, Steve Cherundolo has treated the Los Angeles Football Club defensive unit as a pliable object.
For the third straight match, the MLS points leaders paired Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini, who joined the roster at the start of the secondary transfer window on July 7, next to powerful Colombian Jesus Murillo. While several of Chiellini’s former teammates at Juventus, including his longtime playing partner Leonardo Bonucci, cheered on the 37-year-old defender in his first start at home, the Italian logged his longest stint with his new club in front of an announced crowd of 22,111. Juventus is in L.A. on its U.S. summer tourLAFC’s lone moment of discontent also involved the center back pairing in the 14th minute, when Seattle’s Cristian Roldan forced a turnover and made a sizzling cross into the box.
And just before halftime, LAFC captain Carlos Vela found himself on the receiving end of a lofted ball into the box from Jose Cifuentes that went down as the Ecuadorian’s fifth assist of the year. Sliding to the turf, Vela snuck the game-winner past Frei from point-blank range for his team-leading seventh goal.