LAFC brings document clean-sheet begin into sport vs. skidding Portland

The Portland Timbers will try to snap a five-match winless streak when they host Western Conference-leading Los Angeles FC on Saturday afternoon.

The question heading into the match is not whether the Timbers (1-4-1, 4 points) can win the game, but rather can they at least score a goal?

LAFC (5-0-1, 16 points), led by former French national team and Tottenham Hotspur star Hugo Lloris in goal, have set an MLS record with six straight clean sheets to start a season.

Lloris, who helped lead France to the 2018 World Cup, has made 22 saves in the six contests, including six in last week’s 6-0 victory over Orlando City.

“We don’t go into games thinking about, ‘Oh, we have to keep a clean sheet,'” Los Angeles coach Marc Dos Santos said. “We go into games thinking about what we have to do as a group, collectively.”

To that end, LAFC is tied for second in goals scored in MLS with 14. Forward Denis Bouanga leads the team with four goals, including a hat trick that took just 28 minutes to complete against Orlando, while Son Heung-Min leads the league with seven assists.

The only blip on LAFC’s record so far this season is a 0-0 draw at Austin FC on March 21.

Portland, which is 0-4-1 in its last five matches since a season-opening 3-2 home victory over the Columbus Crew on Feb. 21, has allowed a Western Conference-worst 15 goals while scoring nine times.

The Timbers come in off a 3-2 loss at MLS Cup runner-up Vancouver last Saturday in which they allowed two goals in second-half stoppage time to take a shocking defeat.

Portland coach Phil Neville knows his squad faces a big challenge on Saturday.

“They’re a team that has not conceded any goals this season and they don’t give away many chances,” Neville said. “In terms of attacking play, I think we’re going to have to be really, really, really good in our attacking play, our attacking movements and our attacking control.”

–Field Level Media