LAFC Soars to 4-1 Victory Over San Jose in Leagues Cup Round of 16

In a electric Leagues Cup Round of 16 matchup at BMO Stadium, LAFC triumphed over the San Jose Earthquakes with a commanding 4-1 victory. The clash saw a crowd of 14,911 fans in attendance, as the Black & Gold advanced to the quarterfinals.

LAFC, freshed off a 2-0 win over Austin in the Round of 32 , opened the scoring the 17th minute. Cristian Olivera found thw back of the net, thanks to a perfectly-timed assist from Ryan Hollingshead. The early goal ignited the home crow and set the tone for LAFC's dominant performance.

San Jose, who had crushed Necaxa 5-0 in their previous match, responded in the 41st minute. Hernan Lopez equalized for the visitors, bringing the score to 1-1. However, the momentum shifted just before halftime when San Jose goalkeeper William Yarbrough received a yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time for a foul that resulted in a penalty. Denis Bouanga stepped up and coolly converted from the spot in the 45+5 minute, putting LAFC ahead 2-1 at the break.

San Jose made a halftime substitution, bringing on Paul Marie for Amahl Pellegrino, but it wasn't enough to stem LAFC's offensive tide. Things quickly got worse for the visitors when their head coach, Ian Russel, was shown a yellow card in the 50th minute for dissent.

LAFC extended their lead in the 61st minute when Matuesz Bogusz scored after a brilliant assist from Ille Sanchez. Five minute later, Bouanga netted his second goal of the night, this time assisted by Olivera, making it 4-1.

In a highly anticipated moment, LAFC introduced French legend Olivier Giroud, who recently joined from AC Milan, I'm the 69th minute. Giroud replaced Olivera, marking his debit for the club to thunderous applause from the fans. Along with Omar Campos for Sergi Palencia, and Eddie Segura for Mateusz Bogusz

San Jose tried to shift the game with a triple substitution in the 83rd minute, bringing on Jack Skahan, Preston Judd, and Alfredo Morales. But LAFC's control remained unchallenged as they made their own final changes in the 88th minute, bringing on David Martinez and Erik Dueñas

The final whistle blew with a convincing 4-1 victory for LAFC, who now turn their focus to a tough quarterfinals matchup against Seattle on Saturday, August 17. San Jose, meanwhile, will return to MLS action on August 24 with an away fame against Real Salt Lake.