LAFC made history on Saturday night, extending their clean sheet streak to five matches and 450 minutes with a 0-0 draw at Austin FC, setting a new MLS record for consecutive shutouts to open a season.
Hugo Lloris was the hero late in the game, diving to tip a long-range effort from Austin FC striker Myrto Uzuni over the bar in stoppage time to preserve the record. Uzuni had also been denied earlier by the offside flag.
Defender Nkosi Tafari said the milestone means a lot to the backline.
“We don’t always get the goals, and more times than not, we definitely don’t get the credit,” Tafari said. “It’s definitely nice to have something on paper to show for the hard work that we’re doing.”
Head coach Marc Dos Santos credited more than just the goalkeeper for the defensive dominance.
“He communicates with the back line really well,” Dos Santos said of Lloris. “The midfielders have been really aggressive in front of the back four. Not only is Hugo important with his communication and leadership, but the guys in front of him have worked really hard as a team.”
LAFC are one of four remaining unbeaten teams in MLS play, sitting atop the Western Conference with a 4-0-1 record in league play and 7-0-2 across all competitions this season.
After the international break, the Black and Gold return home on April 4 to host Orlando City before a Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal matchup against Cruz Azul.
Tafari made clear that the team’s ambitions go beyond records.
“We absolutely want to be champions,” he said. “Once the goals start coming in the flow that we know they can come from, it’s gonna get real dangerous for sure.”
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