LAFC brush off Minnesota United to keep heat on first-place Sporting KC

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LAFC cruised to a 2-0 win against Minnesota United in a Wednesday night match in Los Angeles where the final score belied the lopsided nature of the action.

Diego Rossi looked to have LAFC in the lead after Eduard Atuesta played him clear into the area, but the Uruguayan's chipped effort bounced back off the far post to keep the match goalless.

The hosts were on the front foot throughout the opening 45 minutes and the pressure finally told in the 31st when Rossi picked out Atuesta in the center of the penalty area and his perfect first touch set him up for an easy finish and a 1-0 lead.

A sold-out Banc of California Stadium had more to cheer about minutes later when Mark-Anthony Kaye pounced on a headed Latif Blessing ball across the area and hit a first-time volley past Bobby Shuttleworth to double the lead.

LAFC's dominance continued into the second half, as Carlos Vela missed from a well-placed Blessing through ball before Atuesta forced a good save from Shuttleworth with a curling right-footed shot from 10 yards away.

Despite all the pressure, a third goal never came for Bob Bradley's team, who never gave Minnesota a sniff of the goal for almost the entire 90 minutes at the other end to see out the result.

The win for LAFC solidified the first-year expansion team's hold on second place in the Western Conference with 19 points from nine matches.