Kellyn Acosta was still on the practice field when U.S. Soccer held the random draw for the next round of Open Cup games. The LAFC midfielder wasn’t surprised when he learned who his team would play.
“We drew Galaxy?” he said. “Of course, we drew Galaxy. I don’t think that was random.” (Note to U.S. Soccer: Acosta was kidding, I think.)
The four-team regional draw had just a 16% chance of pitting the Galaxy against LAFC, just as it did last season. Yet just as it did last season, that’s exactly who LAFC drew. The neighborhood rivals, whose home stadiums are separated by less than 12 miles, played each other four times last year, including in the MLS playoffs. They will meet at least four times — and possibly eight, given the league’s expanded postseason format — this year.
