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🇺🇸 #lafc x @Purina 🤝 @LAFC 🇺🇸

My biggest concern with @LAFC isn't simply the results. It's the lack of foresight, preparation, & accountability at the top. A successful GM has to anticipate different scenarios throughout a season and have contingency plans ready when things don't go as expected. You can't control every outcome, but you should never be caught completely unprepared. When Cherundolo announced he would be stepping down in early 2025, LAFC had a tremendous opportunity to plan its next chapter. Why not give Dolo the Club World Cup as his final dance, allow him to leave on his own terms, & then give Ante Razov or MDS the opportunity to take over? Both assistants were already familiar with the players, organization & its expectations. Leagues Cup & the remainder of the season could've provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate their leadership, experiment with tactics, & determine who was capable of taking this team forward. Instead, we allowed an entire season to drift without fully taking advantage of the situation. And that's what I find so frustrating. How did ownership allow this? Who was asking the difficult questions? Where was the accountability? We're talking about an organization that prides itself on setting the standard in @MLS. Yet we seemingly overlooked an obvious opportunity to prepare for the future while continuing to struggle with many of the same problems. Then came another offseason with MDS, and once again, we appeared unprepared. Meanwhile, decisions to commit significant resources($) to aging veterans on longer-term contracts should've raised legitimate questions about roster flexibility, long-term planning, and whether those players truly fit the direction of the club or a potential new manager. I'll give JT credit for attracting some incredible talent. That's clearly one of his strengths. But acquiring talent & building a balanced, championship-caliber roster require different skills. LAFC doesn't have a talent acquisition problem. It has a preparation, planning, & talent optimization problem. Which brings me back to a question I believe ownership should seriously consider: Is John Thorrington best suited for his current role, or could his strengths be better utilized elsewhere within the organization? Perhaps he could focus on recruitment, negotiations, & relationships while another executive oversees the broader sporting vision, roster construction, & managerial succession planning. That's not about diminishing his contributions. It's about building the strongest possible organization. Every club makes mistakes. What separates great organizations is their ability to recognize problems early, adapt, & avoid repeating them. LAFC keeps allowing preventable problems to become emergencies. We've had extraordinary opportunities with the Club World Cup, Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, and the talent we've assembled. We should have more to show for it. Ownership needs to ask whether the current structure is truly maximizing those opportunities. Because accountability cannot stop with the players and coaches. The standard is GOLD, and that standard has to start at the top.

I know I've been critical of @LAFC's midfield, but credit to Choinière last night. Came in for a struggling Igor Jesus and made a difference right away. Moved the ball quickly, played with confidence and was solid defensively. I still think there's more to Vasquez. Like Cifu and Atuesta, he seems like a guy who needs touches to get into the flow of a game. Bringing him on after the 75th minute isn't doing him any favors. I'd like to see him get a start. Sieb looked good up top but struggled on the wing. His awareness reminds me of Tillman at times. Too often he's caught reacting instead of anticipating where the ball might go. Almost like he doesn't expect it to come his way. He needs to get out of his own head and trust his instincts. If he can improve that and become more composed in front of goal, he'll open up space for Son and Denis while creating more chances for himself. I really think there's a 15+ goal scorer in there. #LAFC #MLS #ElTrafico

I was about to lose my sh*t when I saw Xavi chose Tyler Boyd over Shaffelburg then was reminded Boyd played for Carson and prob. wanted revenge. #LAFC #MLS #RefereeProblems #PRO #NoAccountability

#LAFC midfield issues continue to plague this team: From Dolo to MDS & now Xavi. All three implemented similar tactics w/ practically the same results. Imagine a midfield consisting of Walta, O'brien, Moran & Jailson. Players that slipped through our fingers. Imagine the work rate, technical ability, movement & pace that midfield would generate. We would dictate games & I guarantee you, Son & Denis would be in heaven. They would be dominant. That's the type of midfield we want to see at #LAFC. A midfield that creates space, combinations & has the confidence to attack defenses. Our current mids can pass well, unforunately, they pass the pressure onto their teammates all game long. Enough is Enough. Restructure this midfield & get a manager that excels at holding players accountable.

Interesting move. The coaching staff this season has been terrible so maybe he’s a casualty. I’m still on the fence with Xavi. I feel he’s a training coach not a leader. But we shall see.

#LAFC should seriously consider Gus Poyet as the next manager. @LAFC #MLS

He never should've been hired and there has to be accountability for that!!!

I'm gonna keep my mouth shut. Best of luck to MDS going forward. #signswerealwaysthere #LAFC #MLS

Fans were told to be patient . Attacking football would be prioritized, CCC disaster, Leagues Cup excuses, terrible losing streaks, Huge window turns into last min signings. JT put all eggs in MDS basket.

#LAFC have to win MLS Cup this season or else. Both MDS & JT have to go. Extremely high season ticket prices Extremely high concessions prices at @BMO Extremely high priced club merchandise Extremely high priced parking Lack of Season ticket perks-discounts-giveaways Extremely mid table management Extremely mid table signings/players Terrible defensive not fun to watch soccer. Make it make sense?! #SorryNotSorry #Standards #Accountability

WTF has happened to this clubs ambition? Ownership seems out of touch.

Dear John Thorrington, LAFC need a #10/playmaker Really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really badly! #lafc #mls @LAFC #whyisthissohardtoaccomplish

The Choiniere-Delgado partnership needs to come to an end. #LAFC #Soft #weak #toughenUP

Disappointed in how LAFC mismanaged & prematurely had to let him go. Not good. Happy for him.

#LAFC Going into transfer window it was obvious what was needed. Feels like JT barely addressed it! What’s happened to @LAFC ambition?????? Prematurely trading Martinez adding to the loss of identity. As fans we literally have to rely on MDS to steer the ship in choppy waters. Pray for us 🙏🏼

A change in formation may do wonders for #LAFC

AN OPEN LETTER TO LAFC — SEPTEMBER 2 IS COMING. Please don't allow our time with Son Heung-Min, Denis Bouanga, Hugo Lloris and Ryan Porteous to come and go like a passing storm. Look at what you have. Players of this caliber had options. They could have played in countless places around the world, yet they chose Los Angeles. They chose LAFC. That should mean something. Since 2018, LAFC has been one of the beaming icons of MLS. This club wasn't built to accept mediocrity. The standard here is GOLD. But a gold standard is ultimately defined by its weakest links. Right now, the top of this roster is world-class. The middle is MLS-average. The bottom is wildly inconsistent. And we're asking the world-class players to cover the difference. Too often the formula becomes: Porteous/Long/Tafari stop the counter → find Denis or Son → ask them to create something against 3-4 defenders → hope someone finishes the final ball. That's not sustainable football. We're asking Denis and Son to manufacture goals instead of building a team that consistently creates them. LAFC NEEDS A #10. A genuine creative midfielder that can turn on a dime, beat his man, pull a defense out of formation and thread a pass in open space for our stars to finish at full strength. That's sustainable. We've watched this midfield get neutralized in big matches for FOUR SEASONS. At some point, continuing to double down on the same construction stops being patience and becomes stubbornness. And that brings us to John Thorrington. JT has put his eggs in the MDS basket. So far, we've gotten more rotten eggs than fluffy omelettes. MDS has shown flashes, but not consistency. Great performances followed by inexplicable ones. Questionable rotations. Questionable substitutions. Players running hot and cold. Injuries. Congested schedules. Excuses, Excuses on top of Excuses, Lost possession. Lack of creativity. Those things aren't side notes to managing a professional football club. They're the job. A manager is paid to anticipate the difficult stretches of a season and maintain standards through them. Even more so, never put himself or his players in a position to complain. Embrace adversity and challenges as opportunities to gain strength and experience. And while all of this happens, supporters are being asked to pay more for season tickets while staring at the possibility of no Champions Cup football next season. Fans aren't angry because we hate this club. We're angry because we LOVE it. We argue about Son. Denis. MDS. JT. Ownership. Players. Tactics. Hell, eventually somebody will probably blame Olly. But underneath all of it is the same thing: We want LAFC to succeed. Ordaz became a fan favorite because he represented hustle, loyalty and commitment — then he was sold. For What? Nielsen has talent but barely sees the field. Why? Raposo gives what he can in the situations he's asked to play. Carter is developing. Thankfully. Boyd and Shaffelburg have been inconsistent. Martinez flashed his talent before injuries interrupted his momentum. Jebo has disappeared from games without seemingly being held accountable. None of these players individually are THE problem. The problem is roster construction. You have world-class finishers without a world-class creator connecting the midfield to them. That's the glaring hole. And somehow it remains unfilled. There is still time. There is still a good team here. There is still a season worth fighting for. One creative midfielder could change the geometry of this entire attack. Suddenly Denis doesn't have to beat three defenders. Son doesn't have to drop 30 yards just to receive the ball. The wings get space. The strikers receive earlier service. Defenses can no longer simply collapse around our stars. September 2 is the deadline. Don't waste this window. Don't look back years from now at the photographs of Son, Bouanga, Lloris and Porteous wearing Black & Gold and wonder what might have happened if we'd surrounded them properly. Opportunities like this don't last forever. The storm eventually passes. LAFC has world-class pieces right now. Finish the puzzle. SIGN THE 10. Restore the standard.