From trailing the Galaxy by seven points in mid-September to edging out its rival on decision day for the Western Conference top seed, the Los Angeles Football Club is exactly where it’s worked to head to a third consecutive appearance in the MLS Cup final. .

When LAFC collapsed in the second half at Dignity Health Sports Park in a 4-2 defeat against the Galaxy on September 15they were struggling to recover from a run the previous month which had seen them qualify for the Leagues Cup final and deplete their reserves in the process.

After falling to the Columbus Crew, LAFC returned to championship competition and won two of their next 15 points, falling freely in the conference standings as the team struggled to recover physically and mentally in the aftermath another second place.

Then came the next opportunity.

The US Open Cup not only ended a string of poor results in LAFC’s biggest matches, but also precipitated a late-season rally – securing 15 points from 15 after the national title – that propelled them to the summit of the West for the second time in three. seasons under head coach Steve Cherundolo.

“When you start winning one game, two games, the confidence is back,” said Hugo Lloris, who finished his first season in Los Angeles with 97 saves and tied Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina for a record 12 clean sheets , including five consecutive. in the spring during the longest shutout streak in club history.

“We don’t feel tired anymore and that’s how we finished this regular season,” Lloris said. “Now it’s just a new competition that will start and we have to get the best out of every player in the team.”

A mix of experienced playoff veterans and newcomers to the format, like Lloris and fellow French legend Olivier Giroud, make up a group of players Cherundolo can trust as LAFC enters the best-of-three first-round series against a very familiar Vancouver Whitecaps team. starting Sunday at BMO Stadium.

Vancouver beat Portland 5-0 on Wednesday to bow out of the Wild Card game, ending a four-game losing streak and a late-season slump at the same time.

“We know them and they know us,” said Sergi Palencia, whose team can face Team Canada a dozen times over the past two seasons if the series goes the distance.

In three matchups this season, most recently the penultimate match of the regular season at BC Place, LAFC won both MLS matches and earned the point they needed in the group stage of the League Cup.

Under Cherundolo over the past two years, the Black & Gold are 6-1-2 in all competitions against Vanni Sartini’s Whitecaps, including a sweep at the same venue in the playoffs.

“If it works for you, that’s great,” Palencia said. “You know the players. You know how much you can harm the team. You know their weaknesses. They will definitely know our weaknesses. But we know how we want to play, how we want to build. We know how to attack. Then it will be different when we have to play and put our ideas into the game, but for now we know what to do and I think we can do it. We’re very confident and we’re on a good winning streak and very excited to make the playoffs.

Two weeks ago, the 33rd day took place in the middle of the international window. Vancouver was missing half a dozen players, several of their best, while LAFC arrived in BC without Denis Bouanga, who torments the Whitecaps in all competitions, as well as Cristian Olivera and Maxime Chanot.

LAFC’s 2-1 victory, with scores in 32 seconds by Mateusz Bogusz and in the 93rd minute by Ilie Sanchez, made it a solid 8-6-3 on the road and was one more moment where the starters and the bench carried the weight of winning together.

“The important thing is that you have at least 20 capable and ready,” Cherundolo said, “and it looks like we have it.”