On a night when the weather was nearly as punishing as the opponent, the Los Angeles Football Club may have learned more from a defeat than it would have gained from a victory.
The final score will show that LAFC lost its U.S. Open Cup semifinal to the Houston Dynamo, playing 120 minutes to a 3-3 draw before falling in an eight-round penalty-kick shootout — a result as harsh and unforgiving as the southeast Texas heat and humidity.
It was also one that wiped out a hat trick from Diego Rossi and a manic comeback from a two-goal deficit with 12 minutes to play in regulation.