LA Galaxy 2-1 loss in Chicago ends unbeaten run before international break
The Fire put an end to the Galaxy's six game unbeaten run on Saturday night
The LA Galaxy suffered a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire on a rainy Saturday night ending the club’s six-game unbeaten run. It was Chicago’s first win of the season since Apr. 21. and the Galaxy’s third loss of the season.
LA got on the scoreboard first through a Riqui Puig penalty kick goal in the seventh minute of the match. It was the Spaniard’s third goal in as many games for the Blue, White, and Gold.
The Fire found the equalizer through a lucky bounce on the slick turf that negated defender Maya Yoshida from clearing the ball away and into the feet of a sliding Hugo Cuypers in the 33rd minute.
The home side found the lead through a long-range shot from Brian Gutiérrez in the 61st minute. A poor giveaway from midfielder Edwin Cerrillo led to Gutiérrez's shot that hit both goalposts to beat goalkeeper Novak Mićović.
LA tried looking for an equalizer but couldn’t find the magic to create something in the dying moments. Many half-chance moments but not many solid opportunities to test the Fire.
The Galaxy now has a 14-day break until its next match against Sporting Kansas City.
“When you have a tendency sometimes to jam plays through the middle of the field, when they don't come off, they come right back at us really quick. We weren't able to organize the pressure on the ball; he finishes it”
- Greg Vanney
Mental Block
The Galaxy’s inability to record three wins in a row during the Greg Vanney era has long been documented and put in the spotlight. It was once again at the forefront heading into this game and after the loss.
Despite the early penalty goal, the Galaxy started this slowly and had to warm their way up into getting in a rhythm offensively. The Fire was content sitting back and looking to hit on the counter when LA lost possession. It wasn’t that the LA Galaxy was horrible but that they were heavily punished for their mistakes.
“We having the ball and taking too much risk in the midfield and individual error, including myself,” said captain Maya Yoshida during his presser. “We discuss a lot, and we should not have done like that. If we finish like nine points this week, it would be great but now we bring back six points.”
The offense’s lack of rhythm and structure was central to many of the Galaxy’s frustrations on the night. “We didn't really establish a clear shape in the first half. It was very fluid, very mobile but that's not necessarily a good thing. That's sometimes creates a little bit of chaos,” said Vanney postgame.
That elusive three-game winning streak is still yet to be found in the Vanney era. Every opportunity that goes by will magnify its importance once it is achieved.
Pérez Shines
21-year-old Jonathan Pérezmade his first start of the season in Chicago and was one of the few bright spots offensively during the game. Vanney told reporters post-game that Perez “earned” his start following an impressive cameo in Wednesday’s match against FC Dallas and his consistent outings during training sessions.
Pérez ended the night in Chicago by completing 23/25 passes, creating one chance, completing 2/2 long balls, and winning 4/7 duels. He had an excellent opportunity to score in the 48th minute but his shot was hit with too much power as it skied over the net. Vanney told the media he thought Pérez had a solid performance considering the Fire played in back five which limited the space in the final third.
“The preseason kind of held me back a bit with my injuries but I was working really hard trying to get back, and working really hard in training,” said Pérez postgame.
He couldn’t show as much of his talents with the first team on the pitch during matches in Coachella but he recorded one goal and three assists in four games with Ventura County FC in MLS Next Pro earlier this season.
Pérez has been on the bench for multiple LA Galaxy games this campaign but minutes have been hard to come by for the Pico Rivera native.
“I think along the way, along the process, it really prepared me for this moment today. To then be able to be the best version of myself and try to help my team in any way,” said Pérez.
‘I'm still not satisfied enough’
The Galaxy ended the night fourth in the Western Conference Standings. For a brief moment during the game, LA was at the top of the West but the loss to Chicago combined with results across the league saw Vanney’s side drop.
LA accumulated 12 points through 17 games last season -this year the point total is 28 points in that amount of time.
While this is a good step in the right direction, the club feels like it’s a step or two from reaching its full potential in the 2024 campaign.
“It's a big improvement since last season. That's obvious, but I'm still not satisfied enough,” said Maya Yoshida postgame. “I'm not happy enough…I feel like we could play much better. Still we need more points. We should be in the top of the league at this point.”
The club looks set to get key players Gaston Brugman and Joseph Paintsil back in training after the international break according to Vanney. Getting them back on the pitch is exactly what the club needs to elevate their ceiling as the season progresses.
“I think we've let a couple opportunities to be a little higher go, and I think we've learned a lot about ourselves in the first half of the season that we are going to need to clean up,” said Vanney.
“We understand ourselves a little bit better as we move into the second half of the season, which is going to be a super important part as we know."