Los Angeles Football Club opened the 2022 MLS season at home in front of a capacity crowd at Banc of California Stadium. The LAFC opened with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Opening Day. The LAFC captain Carlos Vela scored all three goals for LAFC making this his third hat trick of his MLS Career.
“We will have to wait and see what it does. But I think we all know what he can do,” Head Coach Steve Cherundolo said. “And he showed it again today and he worked very hard in preseason to get to where he is today. That is a message that I’ve been very clear with him, and our communication has been great. He knows to be able to play like that, he needs to put in the work, and he did. And I'm very happy for him and the group that we're all rewarded for it.”
The win over Colorado was the first for Steve Cherundolo the LAFC’s new head coach, who was officially named the second head coach in clubs’ history. LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau is one out of six player that made their debuts on the day.
"Tactically didn't make a mistake, didn’t step wrong once, was able to control the tempo of the game for us," Cherundolo said. "He found very good spots offensively. He made good decisions, he made very few mistakes on the ball. An excellent performance, a consistent high level, which is what we expected. On top of that, he brings leadership skills and he's a wonderful human being in the locker room as well. So, to use from another sport, it's a slam dunk for LAFC."
