LAFC's decline is alarming. With Son Heung-min's silence lengthening, fans' dissatisfaction toward coach Mark Dos Santos is also erupting.
Major League Soccer (MLS) announced its league power rankings for round 14 on its official website on the 20th (Korean time). Nashville SC took first place. Nashville defeated LAFC 3-2 on the 18th behind Hanni Muktar's hat trick, and as a result jumped from third to the top in one fell swoop.
MLS said Nashville's Muktar made a huge contribution to the team's impressive victory by scoring a hat trick, including an unbelievable free-kick multi-goal, and that Nashville continues to prove it is the most complete team in the league.
By contrast, LAFC fell to 10th. After dropping to seventh in the previous round, they fell three more places. MLS noted that the situation is not good. LAFC has earned only one point in their last four matches, which has dropped them to seventh in the Western Conference standings.
With the loss to Nashville, LAFC has suffered three consecutive league defeats and four straight losses in official matches including cup competitions. It is the first time in five years LAFC has recorded four straight losses. Son Heung-min played the full 90 minutes and assisted Deni Bouanga's consolation goal, but could not prevent the team's defeat.
It is the exact opposite of the early-season atmosphere. In the opening match LAFC beat Lionel Messi's Inter Miami with an assist from Son Heung-min. They were naturally considered title contenders. But when coach Dos Santos tried to change the structure that concentrated scoring on Son Heung-min and Bouanga, the flow got tangled.
The results are clear. LAFC has managed only one win in their last eight league matches. Son Heung-min has gone 12 MLS matches without a goal. Officially he has gone 955 minutes without scoring. He continues to rack up assists, but the moments expected from goalscorer Son Heung-min have not appeared.
Tactical changes are pointed to as the biggest cause. Last season Son Heung-min and Bouanga played up front in a nearly twin-forward formation, combining on the front line. Fast counterattacks and finishing were their strengths. But this season Son Heung-min has increasingly been isolated as the central forward, and Bouanga has taken on more defensive burden on the left flank.
Bouanga also did not hide his frustration. He said, "This is a difficult part for both me and Son Heung-min. This year we are playing in a different way. I am playing on a wing a little further from Son Heung-min, and Son Heung-min is playing up front. So it is difficult to play exactly the same as last season."
As the controversy grew, Bouanga clarified, "I think my words were clearly misinterpreted. I was never trying to criticize the staff or the team's way of playing itself. I fully trust the team and the coach." But fans' views remain cold.
LAFC Fan TV strongly criticized coach Dos Santos, saying, "Bouanga's legacy has already firmly taken its place in LAFC history. Why should he retract his words to protect a useless guy who would ruin that growing legacy?"
LAFC plays Seattle on the 25th. If they fail to rebound in that match and enter the World Cup break without improving, calls for a coaching change will inevitably grow. If they cannot revive the destructive power of Son Heung-min and Bouanga, the label of title contender will grow more distant.
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