LAFC defeats Vancouver 2-1 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series as coach Steve Cherundolo tries to guide the team to another MLS Cup title.

LOS ANGELES — For the Los Angeles Football Club, Game 1 of the best-of-three opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs against the Vancouver Whitecaps was not a shellacking like last year’s encounter — even if it felt like one.

MLS has been known to get creative with their rules and playoff formats over the years, often to mixed reviews from both fans and players. For the second year in a row, Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs will be played out in Best-of-Three series, with each qualifying team getting the chance to host at least one playoff game.

LAFC is on the hunt for their third straight MLS Cup trip, starting off strong with a 2-1 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night at BMO Stadium. Goals

From trailing the Galaxy by seven points in mid-September to leapfrogging their rival on Decision Day for the top seed in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Football Club is exactly where they worked to be on the march toward a third straight MLS Cup final appearance.

LAFC pulls within three points of the Galaxy in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference and can finish no worse than second. LAFC posted a 3-0 home win over the Whitecaps in May and leads the all-time series 10-6-4.

MLS Cup Playoff action continued Sunday evening as Orlando defeated Charlotte, while LAFC take on Vancouver in the opening game of the respective series. Here is what has gone down so far. LAFC 2-1

Denis Bouanga scored on a penalty kick in the first half and Cristian Olivera scored early in the second to lead Western Conference regular-season champion Los Angeles FC to a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night in a best-of-three first-round series for the Major League Soccer Cup.