LAFC defeated Austin FC 2-0 on Wednesday night, capitalizing on two defensive blunders in each half to deliver the expansion club their first loss at Q2 Stadium. In the 39th minute, Jose Cifuentes punished Brad Stuver for a sloppy clearance, giving LAFC a 1-0 lead. Stuver's effort to play out of the back was intercepted by Kim Moon-Hwan, who got a return ball from Carlos Vela and put his shot on frame with Diego Rossi running toward the net to press. Stuver did a good job to save the shot, but the rebound fell to Cifuentes, who buried it for the lead.

Vela slotted past Stuver following a ball into the box from Cifuentes, and LAFC celebrated what they thought was their first goal 15 minutes earlier. However, the goal was overturned when Video Review ruled that Raheem Edwards fouled Alex Ring in the buildup. Austin FC had two good chances to score the first goal in the first 20 minutes before surrendering. After Tomas Romero pushed away a corner kick in the 12th minute, Hector Jimenez blasted a low shot from a distance wide of the far post. Romero did well to dive and deflect away from a near-post effort from Kekuta Manneh for another corner.

In the 74th minute, Ring almost equalized by latching onto a Zan Kolmanic corner kick at the back post, but the Austin FC captain's header from just beyond the six-yard box went wide.

With Austin FC pressing for an equalizer, LAFC took advantage of another error when Vela swiftly picked up Rossi, who calmly netted the insurance goal one minute from the end.

For the first time this season, LAFC has won back-to-back games – and they did so on the road, which makes the achievement much more noteworthy. It's also a fresh set of sheets while you're not at home. Austin was penalized for a lack of clinical play in the attacking third and a pair of careless turnovers that resulted in LAFC goals.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Joshua Martin]