Midfielder Cruz Medina (99) returned to The Town FC’s lineup, and although the 17-year-old generated some early opportunities, offensive inconsistencies continued to plague the team.
FULLERTON, Calif. — The Town FC applied early pressure on Los Angeles FC 2 to begin Sunday’s Pacific Division showdown at Titan Stadium, but once LAFC2 took control as the first half wound down, the Bay Area club couldn’t fully recover.
The Town FC (4-5-4, 18 points) entered the match coming off a home victory, while LAFC2 (7-4-2, 24 points) was riding a two-game slide in which it was outscored 8-0 across both matches. Despite its recent woes, Los Angeles took a 2-0 result over The Town to secure a valuable three points and critical ground in the Western Conference.
Midfielder Cruz Medina returned to The Town FC’s lineup for the first time since May 26 following time spent with the San Jose Earthquakes and the United States Men’s Youth National Team, and he helped The Town create chances right from kickoff.
Forward Julian Donnery, who led The Town FC with two shots when the match was all said and done, also created early opportunities for the team, but all were to no avail.
Stuck in a scoreless deadlock, Los Angeles stole the momentum during the waning minutes of the first half, as eventual Adidas Man of the Match — defender Erik Dueñas — fired the go-ahead score in the 39th minute to give his team the edge. Dueñas, a well-established first-team player, also tallied an assist in LAFC’s win against San Jose on Saturday night.
The Town FC attempted to find the equalizer once the second half commenced, but LAFC2 constantly shut down its offensive rushes. In the 75th minute, forward Adrian Wibowo used his left foot to double the Southern California side’s lead, effectively putting the game out of reach. Wibowo’s five goals lead Los Angeles.
Emmanuel Ochoa made four saves for The Town FC in net, but since the team struggled to clear the ball on numerous occasions, Los Angeles’ offense flourished, collectively launching six shots on target. Abraham Romero made four saves for LAFC2, earning him a clean sheet in his first MLS NEXT Pro start in three weeks.
Sunday’s contest was the second between the two sides, as The Town edged out LAFC2 in a shootout following a scoreless draw on May 26 in Moraga.
The Town FC has dealt with offensive inefficiencies in many of its games, and this theme only continued against LAFC2; head coach Daniel DeGeer’s squad has only notched 12 goals this season, which is last in MLS NEXT Pro. The Town FC has also been shut out four times.
Following the result, The Town FC remains in a playoff spot at seventh in the West, and LAFC2 moves up to fifth. A win for The Town would’ve placed it even with Los Angeles, but instead, the drama of the Western Conference’s playoff race only continues to heat up as seeds seven through 11 are only separated by four points.
The Town FC will begin a lengthy four-match homestand against Ventura County FC (6-4-4, 26 points) next, the team it lost against to begin the season way back on Mar. 17. Ventura County sits in third in the West and will also enter the match coming off a loss.
The Town FC will host Ventura County FC at Saint Mary’s Stadium in Moraga on June 30. The match will kick off at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
MEDIA ASSETS
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MATCH INFORMATION
2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
Los Angeles FC 2 2 – 0 The Town FC
Titan Stadium
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Scoring Summary:
LAFC2 (1-0) – E. Dueñas 39’
LAFC2 (2-0) – A. Wibowo 75’
Misconduct Summary:
TTFC – R. Lynch (Caution) 60’
LAFC2 – L. Bombino (Caution) 82’
Los Angeles FC 2: A. Romero (GK), J. Santiago (A. Sanders – 8’), S. Nixon, D. Rosales (C), L. Bombino, M. Evans (C. Jaime – 68’), T. Musto, E. Dueñas, N. Ordaz (C. Rosenthal – 90 + 2’), T. Ángel (J. Hernandez – 90 + 2’), A. Wibowo
Substitutes not used: D. Ochoa, B. Darboe, D. Guerra, M. Aiyenaro
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 8; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 4
The Town FC: E. Ochoa (GK), R. Ibarra, C. Walls, S. Bilter, O. Verhoeven, E. Blancas, E. Mendoza (J. Garcia), C. Medina (C) (J. Spivey – 79’), R. Lynch (D. Fregoso – 79’), J. Donnery (A. Chow – 45’), A. Edwards (R. Tsunehara – 74’)
Substitutes not used: D. Fregoso, C. Arseni, K. Oseguera, M. Guerra
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 9; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 4