LAFC won the Los Angeles bragging rights on Sunday night as they claimed the first El Trafico of the season 3-2, and captain Carlos Vela sent a damning message after the final whistle.
LA Galaxy's woes continued on Sunday as they lost their third-straight El Trafico derby against rivals LAFC, with the two sides continuing their contrasting form. Vela was the star of the show as he scored twice and assisted Ryan Hollingshead for LAFC's third, and rubbed it in at full-time.
LAFC have established dominance in the derby after only previously being able to beat LA Galaxy twice in their history. And Vela is confident that their success could become a regular pattern moving forward.
"It feels great. I feel like we showed many times that we’re better than them, but for some reason anytime we play here it’s a crazy start," Vela said. "After this one, I hope we win more often here and show every time that we play LA Galaxy that we’re the team of this city."
LAFC secured their first MLS Cup title last season after Gareth Bale's heroics got them over the line against Philadelphia Union, and they're yet to be beaten so far this season. They're the only MLS side yet to taste defeat, but things couldn't be going much differently for LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy are one of only two sides yet to win a single game this season, as they're tied on three points at the bottom of the Western Conference with Sporting Kansas City who are also amidst a drought. Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez made his return from injury on Sunday, and they'll be hoping the Mexican can turn their form around as soon as possible.
Head coach Greg Vanney was still positive despite suffering another defeat, stating it was one of their best performances of the season. "For a lot of the day, I was pleased with our performance, I was pleased with our effort, our energy," Vanney said.
"We punished ourselves today. Today we killed ourselves and that's unfortunate against a good team that has momentum in their favour."
But LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo hailed Vela for another stunning El Trafico performance, as the Mexican is the leading scorer (12) in the history of the fixture. "Carlos has a very special left leg and his football IQ is also off the charts," Cherundolo said.
"Carlos has done that time and time again and it’s great to see that, it’s great to see him finishing in the manner that he finishes his chances. He doesn’t get many many chances, but he’s there when we need him and that’s why he is at LAFC and nobody else."
