Galaxy’s promising start crashes in Philadelphia

CHESTER, Penn. -- The flicker of hope lasted exactly 45 minutes.  

The Galaxy (0-7-6) entered the locker room at halftime leading two goals to none and returned after the second half to the tune of a heartbreaking, season-defining, 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union.

“Today was just not good enough, from all of us. It’s another punch to the face,” Fagundez said of the Galaxy’s performance. 

When Mauricio Cuevas slotted home Marco Reus' clever flick in the 31st minute at Subaru Park, the goal felt like more than just an early lead for LA. 

For a team that lost 7-0 the last time they took the pitch, an early goal represented something far more precious: belief. 

”I was super proud of the guys and the response in the first half…We got ourselves ahead, which has been a battle for us,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said afterwards. 

Vanney rolled out a lineup that didn’t feature a true striker, partly due to match congestion and of course, injuries suffered throughout the start of the season. 

The Galaxy’s attacking third featured a combination of Diego Fagundez, Reus and Cuevas while the middle third featured Isaiah Parente, Lucas Sanabria and Elijah Wynder.

”We tried to beef up our midfield a little bit to try to protect the space in front of our back four and I thought we did a good job of that in the first half,” Vanney said.

When Fagundez doubled the advantage just before halftime, finishing a move he started with Reus again pulling the strings, the impossible suddenly seemed plausible. 

The goal marked Fagundez’ 75th of his career in MLS, to go along with 76 assists, which coincidentally happened on the night of his 300th regular season start.

For a second, it appeared as if a victory on Wednesday could mark the end of the Galaxy's nightmare 

The optimism proved tragically short-lived.  

Philadelphia's second-half resurgence began with the kind of defensive lapse that has defined LA's season. 

In the 48th minute, Jakob Glesnes rose unchallenged to meet a corner, his powerful header bounced off his teammate Nathan Harriet, past John McCarthy and into the back of the net.

What followed was a masterclass in collapse.

Moments later, Tai Baribo exploited more hesitant defending, heading in a cross from Dailey Jean Jacques to even the score at two goals apiece.

The cruelest blow came in the 93rd minute. Daniel Gazdag's cross found Baribo completely unmarked, his glancing header completing both his brace and LA's humiliation. 

“The only thing that we can look at is the team responded really well from [the loss to] New York but now we need to learn how to play 90 minutes, We can’t just play 45 minutes and think the game’s over,” Fagundez said.

The Union players celebrated wildly while Galaxy stars stood frozen, their expressions a mix of disbelief and resignation.  

While the goal itself was a gut-punch, Vanney didn’t agree with the call that led to the set piece. 

“I was extremely frustrated and angry at where the throw-in was taken and the fact that Maya, in my opinion, was bumped from behind,” Vanney said. “Now we’re dealing with a corner kick when we should have been getting a foul going the other direction.”

This wasn't just another loss - it was the 13th consecutive match without a win for the defending MLS Cup Champions, extending the worst stretch for a defending champion in league history. 

As the Galaxy trudged off the pitch, the looming shadow of El Tráfico this Sunday, May 18, grew larger. 

“We have our rivals coming to to town and we need to make sure that game is a win,” Fagundez said. “It’s a 90 minute game we need to play, everyone has to be ready and prepared for it. There [are] no more excuses, at the end of the day, its do-or-die right now.”