Aaron Long’s lifeless body is a better defender than most conscious players

The defender was nearly a corpse when he made an amazing first-half block

Good defenders can scramble over at the last minute to make a desperation block. Great defenders are a step ahead of the game, arriving at the perfect spot before the shot is even made.

Aaron Long may have vaulted into a category of his own on Wednesday night, as he managed to get injured and park his lifeless body exactly where a shot arrived several seconds later.

That allowed the LAFC defender to make the defensive play of the night (year?) in a CONCACAF Champions League match against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

With the game scoreless, Long went down injured early in a Vancouver attacking sequence. The ball eventually found its way to Javain Brown, who teed up an inviting first-time strike.

But there was Long, nearly a corpse, getting in front of the ball like any alive defender worth his salt is trained to do.

Long’s incredible anticipation set the stage for a second-half blitz by LAFC, who scored three goals to take a commanding 3-0 advantage into the second leg of the quarterfinal next week.

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