Galaxy’s winless streak hits nine after disappointing loss in Austin

AUSTIN, Tex. -- As the final whistle blew on the LA Galaxy's 1-0 loss to Austin FC, players shoved and shouted near midfield, their winless start to the MLS season now stretching to nine matches. 

The boiling point arrived in the 96th minute, long after the game had slipped away. Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said the skirmish — sparked between Austin’s Julio Cascante and Joseph Paintsil, among others — was the result of physical play displayed in recent history between these two clubs.

“There was a tackle on Riqui [Puig] on the sideline a year ago at our place, even in preseason, there was a lot of guys getting pieces of Gabe [Pec] and others. I think the tensions between the group have risen over the last several meetings and I think in the end, frustration boiled over.” 

For 80 minutes at Q2 Stadium, the Galaxy had clung onto the possibility of spilling points on the road. 

John McCarthy had a solid performance in goal, most notably when he guessed correctly to deny Brandon Vazquez's 72nd-minute penalty kick, one his five saves for the afternoon.

Then came the cruel twist that's defined the Galaxy’s season.  

A hopeful cross from Austin's Zoran Kolmanic took a deflection off Galaxy defender Emiro Garcés and rolled right in front of Vazquez, who tapped home the winner. 

The goal left the Galaxy staring at yet another defeat snatched from what could have been a valuable road point. 

"Playing on the road is a challenge, I thought we created the chances and we held our own in most situations defensively, but we didn’t come away with anything,” Vanney said afterward. “We didn’t execute and they were able to punish us on a couple of mistakes, really one mistake.”

The Galaxy showed flickers of life throughout the 90 minutes of play.

Gabriel Pec rattled the crossbar in the 23rd minute, arguably LA’s best chance of the match. 

Marco Reus, making his long-awaited return from injury, entered as a second-half substitute. Reus forced a save from Brad Stuver, but Vanney is hoping to see more from him soon.

“I thought Marco came in and gave us some quality on the ball and he helped to get things sort of moving, we created some good moments when he came on… I thought he was fine. Ultimately, we would like to get him more goal dangerous, whether that’s setting guys up for final actions or for himself.” 

As tempers flared postgame, with players needing to be separated, the frustration was palpable. 

Diego Fagúndez, playing in Austin where he played from 2021-2023 before joining the Galaxy, endured boos all afternoon from the home crowd. The chippy ending perhaps revealed more about the Galaxy's current state than the scoreline itself.  

With a critical home match against Portland looming Sunday April 26, Greg Vanney says his club is still a work in progress.

“From the whole group there’s a belief in what we’re doing… I think there’s just a process here in which everybody’s got to get connected and find their level and be in sync.”