AL RAYYAN, Qatar — The way Kellyn Acosta describes it, the moment was an MLS version of that viral photo featuring Dwyane Wade celebrating while LeBron James rises behind him, ball in his right hand, still several feet from the rim. Wade understood inevitability.
Acosta, who was on the Los Angeles FC bench after exiting this month’s MLS Cup final, said he felt something similar deep into extra time as teammate Diego Palacios reached the endline and lofted a high cross toward Gareth Bale.
“[Philadelphia] scored the third goal [four minutes earlier] and it’s kind of like a knife to the chest, right? It kind of just takes the wind out of you, and you’re just kind of defeated in a way,” Acosta recalled.
