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EFE
A goal from the Mexican Omar Campos In extra time, he helped the team to a hard-fought 3-2 victory on Wednesday Los Angeles FC against the Sporting Kansas City which gave Steve Cherundolo’s team the title in the final of the US Open Cup played at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
After the 1-1 draw in the 90th minute, Campos, a former Santos Laguna player, scored a great goal with his right foot in the 102nd minute after an assist from Uruguayan Cristian Olivera and Sierra Leonean Kei Kamara sealed LAFC’s victory with a header. The Los Angeles team, still without Mexican Carlos Vela, won the fourth trophy in their young history. Founded in 2018, before the US Open Cup they had won two Supporters’ Shields for the best team in the MLS regular season and an MLS championship.
It was a back-and-forth game, with high tempo and both teams looking for a goal until the end. LAFC took the lead in the 53rd minute thanks to Frenchman Olivier Giroud, who easily finished off a low cross from Polish player Mateusz Bogusz. The French forward, formerly of Chelsea and Milan, among others, celebrated his first goal for the Los Angeles team, but the joy of his fans only lasted a few minutes.
In the 59th minute, Sporting Kansas City equalised with a great goal from German Erik Thommy. The former Stuttgart player, in his third season in American football, struck down French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a powerful right-footed shot inside the area that went in off the near post. That goal ended up forcing extra time in Los Angeles, even though Bogusz missed a sure goal in the final minutes, alone against rival goalkeeper Tim Melia.
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But in extra time, the Mexican international Campos’ turn came, who struck down the goalkeeper with a low right-footed shot released inside the area after a pass from Olivera. It was a psychological blow for Sporting, who succumbed in the 109th minute to a header from veteran Kei Kamara, 40 years old.
