Christian Ramirez scored twice against his former team as the streaking Columbus Crew handed host Los Angeles FC their first loss in 11 matches, 5-1 on Saturday.
Ramirez scored in the 38th and 84th minutes, while Cucho Hernandez tallied in the 56th and Diego Rossi four minutes later in the first meeting since the Crew won 2-1 in the MLS Cup on Dec. 9 in Columbus.
The Crew (12-3-6, 42 points) have won five straight — outscoring opponents 20-2 — and nine of their last 10.
LAFC (13-5-4, 43 points) had a three-match winning streak and a 9-0-1 run come to an end.
Nathan Ordaz scored his first goal of the season in the 85th minute to avoid the shutout for the Western Conference leaders, but Alex Matan regained the four-goal margin for the Crew in the 89th.
The final three goals were scored after LA’s Sergi Palencia was sent off in the 83rd minute for his second yellow card. The Crew’s Marino Hinestroza and LA’s Jesus Murillo were red-carded in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time after a scuffle.
Ramirez delivered his first goal at the end of the typical Crew advancement with one or two touches followed by precision runs and pinpoint passing to make it 1-0.
Rossi and Hernandez pinged the ball until Hernandez sent a through ball to Max Arfsten on the left side of the box. He stuck a cross to the head of Ramirez for his sixth goal.
Ramirez has scored in three straight and has six goals and three assists in his past six starts.
In his past five matches, Hernandez has 12 goal contributions (six goals, six assists), and in the past seven matches, he has contributed eight goals and seven assists.
Rossi, another ex-LAFC player, has four goals and five assists in the past five matches.
Hernandez doubled the score with a world-class strike. He has 12 goals.
He took a pass from Steven Moreira just outside the box and whipped a shot across his body to send it into the far netting.
Rossi’s goal to make it 3-0 came off a turnover. His eighth goal went off the right post.
–Field Level Media