CARSON, Calif. -- After a near two month hiatus with the World Cup break, the LA Galaxy returned to MLS league action on Friday night looking to jumpstart the second half on the right foot against their most coveted rival.
However, in what ended up being one of the more docile El Tráfico matches in recent memory, the LA Galaxy soundly fell to LAFC without avail at home, losing 3-0 and snapping a lengthy scoring streak to open up the second half of the season.
For the first time since August 10 of last season, the Galaxy were shut out, breaking a 24-game streak of scoring in each game. It came in an effort where the team came flat all-around in their return to league action.
“I feel like we overplayed it, clearly,” said Head Coach Greg Vanney. “We weren’t able to build speed, weren’t able to put balls enough in dangerous areas.”
LAFC’s frontline stood tall and tore the Galaxy’s defense apart, maximizing each golden opportunity from multiple miscues.
Midfielder Mark Delgado opened the scoring against his former club at the 26th minute, beating centerback Jakob Glesnes on a 1-on-1 chance in the box. Not much later, a measly tackle from defender Justin Haak set up a penalty for LAFC, where Denis Bouanga capitalized to double the lead at the 46th minute.
The converted penalty just before the half set the tone immediately. With another chance to clear the ball towards the box, LAFC’s Son Heung-min struck the ball into the corner of the net to secure his first goal of the season.
It was evident that the Galaxy needs to be more diligent defensively to create opportunities offensively.
“On a day where you need to be near flawless defensively, you’re probably not going to create a ton of chances,” Vanney said. “You need to be very good on the defensive side of things.”
The Galaxy exposed their offensive gameplan too vividly in prioritizing Paintsil heavily, to the point where it became obvious for the LAFC defense to recognize where the ball would go.
In their friendly match last Saturday, Paintstil dominated the right wing in his first appearance there in a long time, creating lots of space in a position previously held by Gabriel Pec. It was the exact opposite of that on Friday, as the team overplayed the right side.
“We were forcing things to Joe a lot. The game needed to loosen up,” Vanney said. “Joe is the one who might be able to create some danger, but if we just keep going to Joe, they organize the defending to Joe.”
Just before LAFC found themselves on the board, Galaxy midfielder Erik Thommy suffered an injury that had him removed from the game. Postgame, he was on crutches, though Vanney said he had no update on the extent of the injury.
With another potential man down, the Galaxy’s depth becomes that much slimmer. With an already depleted roster and in the midst of a transfer window, the pressure is on for the Galaxy to sustain enough success to remain contenders.
That feeling of urgency has grown stronger among the squad, as the team currently sits on the brink of a spot in the postseason.
“I feel like every game has to be like a playoff game at this point,” Haak said. “This was definitely not a step in the right direction, nobody is proud or happy with how the game went. We all expected much more.”
Going forward, the Galaxy have a chance to flush the loss in a second consecutive home match on Wednesday against St. Louis City SC. The mentality remains the same, but adjustments have to be made.
It is no secret that the next handful of matches are especially crucial for a Galaxy squad in need of reinforcements on the pitch. In the meantime, they have to make due with what they have and work their way to earning crucial points.
“We recognize very clearly where we’re at, that we need to grab points here along the way,” Vanney said. “You don’t have a lot of time to give away points and try to work your way back.”