Winning on the road is never easy in MLS, but it doesn’t help when three usual starters are missing from the lineup.
Without leading scorer Dejan Joveljic, midfielder Gaston Brugman and defender Julian Aude all sidelined due to injury, the Galaxy (12-5-7, 43 pts) lacked control of the middle of the field, which FC Dallas took full advantage of en route to a 2-0 victory over LA.
The Galaxy began Saturday’s match using a false nine in place of Joveljic, with head coach Greg Vanney deciding to keep substitute striker Miguel Berry on the bench to and Diego Fagundez was used as a false nine in the first half.
”We were looking to fill the nine position and of of a couple of different ways to have some presence in there,” Vanney said.
FC Dallas was on the board first, after John McCarthy deflected Logan Farrington’s shot but was unable to stop Petar Musa’s rebound to make it 1-0, just before the half hour mark.
Shortly after the break, FC Dallas doubled its lead.
Farrington received a long pass and sent the ball through the back of the net, which was ruled onside by the officials despite the entire Galaxy backline arguing otherwise, to make it 2-0.
The Galaxy looked rather sluggish while dealing with the Texas heat, although the match was paused twice for hydration breaks, Vanney said his club didn’t adjust well.
”I think one of the biggest things today, it felt like watching us play was a little bit of underwater soccer sometimes with the humidity and the heat. We just didn’t manage it,” Vanney said.
Next, the Galaxy will return to Dignity Health Sports Park to host the Colorado Rapids Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.