LAFC had the most demanding schedule in MLS history last year, 53 games in which the team played for six trophies, but still crossed the finish line in December exhausted and empty-handed.

The schedule was much more generous this season and therefore it could be much more rewarding.

LAFC’s 4-0 win over Colorado Rapids on Wednesday advanced to Sunday’s Leagues Cup final against the Columbus Crew, who beat Philadelphia Union in the other semifinal. This game in Ohio will be a rematch of last winter’s MLS Cup final, which the Crew won.

And once again it’s about silverware.

“Our group is looking forward to a rematch and I think we’re more focused on the opportunity and less on revenge,” said LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo, whose team has suffered just one home loss this season, a 5-1 defeat to the Crew last month. “If you want to win a trophy, you have to put in a great, intense effort for 90 minutes.”

LAFC then travels to Seattle to play for a spot in next month’s U.S. Open Cup final, where another trophy will be awarded. Cherundolo compared that to two finals in four days.

“You can’t expect that every year, but we strive for it,” he said. “Management and club owners are doing their part to ensure our teams are able to go that far in tournaments.”

“Right now we are maximizing our potential on all fronts.”

Indeed. Wednesday’s victory, which extended LAFC’s winning streak to eight games in all competitions, marked LAFC’s loss of just one — the lopsided result against Columbus — in its last 22 games. It hasn’t trailed in seven of its last eight games.

So, as the hottest team in MLS, LAFC is aiming not only to reach the Final Four of this summer’s two biggest tournaments, but also its third Supporters’ Shield and third consecutive trip to the league final, giving the team two more chances to take home trophies.

“We’re trying to win everything we can,” added newly arrived midfielder Lewis O’Brien, who came off the bench on Wednesday to score his first goal for LAFC, capping the scoring.

Colorado didn’t make it easy, at least not at first. They kept LAFC from scoring until the 42nd minute, when Mateusz Bogusz steered a right-footed shot from just outside the box into the far post. After that, the dam broke and Kei Kamara doubled the lead three minutes later.

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Denis Bouanga made it 3-0 in the 59th minute, scoring his sixth goal in the Leagues Cup and the tournament’s highest total. The counterattack was started by Olivier Giroud, who headed in a Colorado corner kick. O’Brien, a former Premier League midfielder who joined LAFC three weeks ago, scored 16 minutes later.

Defender Ryan Hollingshead finished with two assists, which was more than enough for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who has conceded just one goal in his last four games.

Regardless of what happens on Sunday, simply by reaching the Leagues Cup final, LAFC has secured a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, the region’s most prestigious club competition, which could make for a busy schedule next season as well.

But Cherundolo said his team is not looking further ahead than Sunday.

“We are proud of what we have achieved. We have already qualified for the Champions Cup. And you know the cup is the icing on the cake,” he said. “Our legs are tired. The downside may be yet to come. We have to turn everything around after Sunday and play in Seattle again on Wednesday and travel thousands and thousands of miles and sleep in hotel beds. It could be tough.”

“But there is still a lot of hunger in our group. Every chance to win a trophy is important for us. That is our goal and that is all we think about.”

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.