LA Galaxy survive Cali Clasico with 3-2 road win
The Galaxy picks up all three points in frantic game at PayPal Park. Three major talking points from the 98th Cali Clasico.
The LA Galaxy keep their good MLS form going following a 3-2 road victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night. The Galaxy are 5-1-4 in their last 10 games in league play, rank 1st in the Western Conference in points per game (1.9) dating back to May 31, and rank 4th overall in the league. The Galaxy now finishes the regular season going undefeated against the Quakes.
LA dominated possession in the first half and got on the scoreboard first through Tyler Boyd’s strike in the 16th minute of play. Unfortunately, their lead didn’t last too long as Calegari’s header to clear Cristian Espinoza’s shot ended up in the back of the net in the 28th minute of play. Just two minutes later, Jeremy Ebobisse scored a tap-in to flip the game on its head. In the 35th minute, Douglas Costa had to leave the game due to injury. According to Greg Vanney, the Brazilian suffered a dislocated shoulder and will be assessed in the coming days.
LA looked shell-shocked by the time halftime came around as they couldn’t string passes together after going down on the scoreboard.
The second half saw the LA Galaxy bounce back. Riqui Puig drove through the midfield and his shot at the bottom left corner of the goal hit the back of the net. Raheem Edwards drew a penalty that Dejan Joveljic converted to give LA a 3-2 lead. Puig left the game in the 80th minute of the game following discomfort in his quad, Vanney said postgame he was okay and wasn’t too serious.
The Earthquakes had chances toward the end of the game to get a tying goal but LA held on to win. As it currently stands, LA is five points behind 9th place FC Dallas.
Let’s get into last night’s three major talking points
The Boyd
In my preview for this match, I put Boyd as my player to watch. I said, “I want him to keep this goalscoring form going. He’s capable of scoring more goals as he gets into great positions on the pitch and it helps he’s comfortable striking the ball with both feet.”
Boyd scored the opening goal of the match and his sixth MLS goal of the season. The 28-year-old has four goals and one assist in his last five games in MLS.
“Tyler is our is one of our guys who is a consistent runner,” said Vanney about Boyd. “He is looking to put himself in dangerous positions because he's active and he's not always looking for the ball at his feet.”
“I keep saying to our guys if you're active for our ball carriers, then you're gonna get chances, you're gonna get opportunities to score because we have guys who can really set up things we just want more guys to want to get themselves in those positions to finish things and we'll see more things hit the back of the net.” - Greg Vanney
Left back Raheem Edwards also shared a similar sentiment when he said, “[Boyd] is a guy that's making runs in behind helping our team a lot and he’s getting rewarded with goals.”
Edwards mentioned that the last four weeks without a game helped them strengthen relationships with one another and build their chemistry on the pitch.
It’s not just offensively where Boyd is excelling. He’s making lots of effort defensively and was doing his best to close down space on crosses with the little sprint speed he had left towards the end of the game. He’s a player that will continue to work and leave the tank empty to come away with the win.
Back on the scoresheet
The last time Dejan Joveljic was on the scoreboard was in May in a matchup against the Quakes. Three months later he’s back on the scoresheet and against the same opponent. Notably, he has four goals in six career games against the NorCal side since joining MLS in 2021.
He converted a penalty kick and celebrated like there was so much weight lifted off of him. After so many chances being saved or not clinical enough, he finally got to see the ball in the back of the net.
“That was the most important thing of the day for Dejan [Joveljić]. He got on the scoreboard, and I know he’s been super stressed out by not providing goals and it doesn’t matter how it comes for guys who are supposed to score goals,” said Vanney.
It was a rough game for the Serbian striker overall. He struggled with the build-up play and was taken off the ball rather easily. With his poor pass in the middle of the field, the Quakes we able to convert that misplaced pass into their second goal of the game.
“I thought he had a hard time when we were playing into him as a target and trying to link things up and get things in. It was tough for him today,” noted Vanney. “I think as he adjusted and started to make some more vertical runs, then I think things started to open up.”
At the most important moment of the game, Joveljic stepped up and converted from the penalty spot. There needs to be goal-scoring from the striker position more than ever before this season. The hope is that this penalty goal can start a domino effect to get the best out of the Serbian number 9.
In Sync
In his second game with the LA Galaxy, Edwin Cerrillo looks like’s been with the club all season long. He’s calm on the ball, he knows where to position himself, and looks in sync with the team’s style of play.
“I wanted something new and the opportunity came and this month has been exciting for sure,” said Cerrillo postgame. “Since day one, I love it here and I'm going to continue to enjoy it as much as I can. I think pushing for that playoff spot is really going to bring the best out of me.”.
The 22-year-old midfielder spent nine years with FC Dallas between the academy and first team. This move to LA is something he wanted and believes will push him to be a better player. He’s been plugged into the starting lineup in back-to-back games and appreciates the confidence Vanney has in him less than a month since being acquired from Dallas.
“You want to be somewhere where you're wanted and appreciated and [Vanney] gave me that confidence just makes me excel more. I don't go out there playing with nerves. But also I do go out there trying to prove him right and prove myself right” - Edwin Cerrillo
He completed 63 of 67 passes (94%) and won four possessions in the win over the Earthquakes. Take a look at his heatmap from last night:
Cerrillo recorded his first LA Galaxy assist for Puig’s goal in the game. With game-changers like Puig on the LA Galaxy, Cerrillo is the player who does a lot of work off the ball.
“They’re technically gifted and they can take players on. I just have to be there just in case they don’t get around them, and try to kill any attack from the other team. And kind of just give that stability and let those players to their thing,” he told reporters.
The Galaxy needs players like that; tracking back, covering passing lanes, and stunting the opponent attacks. Cerillo has slotted into that role with ease in this two-game sample size.