The preseason draws to a close for LAFC on Saturday with a final match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and the team will be looking to smooth out its rough edges to prepare for the regular season. With eight days left before the home opener against Sporting KC next Sunday, the Black and Gold will also use the event to bolster the excitement of season ticket holders with special events before kick-off.
The Whitecaps are most recently coming off a 1-1 draw with the Tijuana Xolos, a Liga MX club. After falling behind early in the first half, newly-added defender Victor Giro evened the score up. The match will mark a special day for the Vancouver head coach, a friendly face at Banc of California — former assistant coach Marc Dos Santos, who served as head coach Bob Bradley’s second-in-command for the inaugural season. Dos Santos was named the head coach of Vancouver after the culmination of the 2018 season, and he has voiced his excitement to return to LAFC, which he considers to be one of the most important clubs in his development as a coach.
LAFC opened the preseason strongly, winning its first few matches, but its most recent game ended in a 3-0 loss to San Jose, the team that finished bottom in the conference last season. Although preseason matches are more of a test tube period than anything else, results will be more of an emphasis in the final game, with the regular season in plain sight next week.
When: 5:30 p.m. PT
Where: Banc of California Stadium
How to watch: The game is closed to the public, but tickets were made available to season ticket holders