LA Galaxy II are back in the USL's Western Conference final after defeating the top-seeded Orange County Blues FC, 2-0, on Saturday night.
Forward Ariel Lassiter, the son of MLS great Roy Lassiter, grabbed both goals while goalkeeper Clement Diop backstopped Los Dos to a clean sheet.
Lassiter opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a first-time finish off a feed from Raul Mendiola, who would feed Lassiter again for his brace in the 54th minute. Lassiter had a few chances for the hat trick, but would have to be content with his pair of goals as Galaxy II saw out the game.
Los Dos will now travel to face the winner of Sunday night's Oklahoma City Energy FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks game (7 pm ET, YouTube) on Saturday, Oct. 10, where they will play for the right to contest the USL title game.
The season is over for another MLS-operated team, however, as New York Red Bulls II fell on the road to the Rochester Rhinos in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by a 2-0 scoreline.
RBNY II nearly grabbed an early lead as Stefano Bonomo nearly found the inside of the back post with a swinging ball, but suffered a serious setback in the 22nd minute when Konrad Plewa was shown a straight red card for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Rochester would have the better of the game from there on out and Steeven Dos Santos, who earned the red card foul, would score in the 48th and 69th minutes to book the Rhinos' place in the Eastern Conference Final against Louisville City FC.
