The first Major League Soccer season for Los Angeles FC is off to a good start after the team defeated Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Sunday. After being established in 2014, LAFC started competing in MLS from 2018 season and this was their first official game. It was also the first time their head coach Bob Bradley led an MLS team since 2006. The 20-year-old winger Diego Rossi scored a goal after a great pass from Carlos Vela in the 11th minute and LAFC never looked back, holding to their advantage despite a few good looks Sounders’ players had.
After the game, Bradley didn’t hide his pleasure with the way his team played, saying LAFC is “only going to get better” in the future.
“It’s a great win,” – said Bradley after the game. “The first 25 minutes the football was actually pretty good. After that, it was more about fighting and defending. But when you’re starting out as a team, you have to learn how to win different types of games. A lot of guys gave big efforts. We talked today that you only get one chance for [a first impression], so you’ve got to show what you’re all about. I don’t think we showed, football-wise, what we’re capable of, but that’s only going to get better. I’m confident that as we build this team, that we’re going to see some real football.“
This wasn’t the first time Bob Bradley lead an expansion team to the victory in their first game since he did the same with Chicago Fire in 1998. After serving two years as Bruce Arena’s assistant at D.C. United, he was named the head coach of Chicago Fire and managed to win MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup in his first season.
