LA Galaxy stars come to life in 3-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes
The SoCal side record its first win of the 2024 campaign with great performances from the club's marquee players
The LA Galaxy recorded its first victory of the season in a comfortable 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes in the 99th edition of the Cali Clasico. LA extended its unbeaten run against the Earthquakes to five games and leads the all-time series at 47-33-19.
Designated Player Joseph Paintsil recorded his first goal in LA Galaxy colors in the 18th minute of the match. He combined with Mark Delgado and hit a curling shot with his left foot that found the back of the net.
Paintsil then helped LA double its lead as he played a square pass for striker Dejan Joveljić to finish at the top of the six-yard box in the 43rd minute of play.
Early in the second half, Joveljić played a pass through the middle of the penalty box and Riqui Puig was there to pounce on it and give LA a 3-0 lead. San Jose did get one back through former LA Galaxy forward Preston Judd in the 69th minute.
“I'm really proud of the group. I look forward because I see what this team is capable of even on a night like tonight, and knowing the guys are still coming together and getting healthy and all that kind of stuff, I really am excited about the group we have,” said Head Coach Greg Vanney following the win.
“This team is going to continue to get better. It's going to continue to grow together. Guys are going to continue to get used to the nuances that each of them brings to the group and so this win, it's just important to get the first one under our belt.”
Bringing that Killer Mentality
Paintsil has been nothing short of a dangerous player in his first two games for the Galaxy. His pace in transition moments adds another dimeson to the Galaxy attack and he consistently gets shots on target to test the goalkeeper. It’s early days but you’re seeing what made him very successful with Genk last season and it’s translating in MLS.
During his presser, the Ghanaian revealed that his mother and sister told him he would score on Saturday night. It was on the top of his mind all day and he kept faith that their prediction would come true. He showed they were right with a goal and assists on the night.
There were multiple moments where he’d get a pass from Puig in the space out wide or when making a darting run. Despite only being with the team for less than two weeks, he feels the connection with the Spaniard is already there. “Playing alongside Riqui is a great connection, and as you can see, it's like we've played almost a season before,” said Paintsil. “Riqui is a great thing for me and for him, and his style of play is really going to help me a lot with my pace and also to give me the ball.”
Paintsil knows that he’s going to be the offensive catalyst for the club. He senses the danger this team can create as they slowly start to get integrated more and more.
“The players are also really hungry for success. We did everything together and if we keep playing like this, we are really going to kill a lot of clubs, a lot of clubs, trust me.”
Dejan’s Awakening
Following Saturday night, Joveljić now has five goals and one assist in seven career games against the Earthquakes. The Cali Clasico awakens him and gets the most of the young Serbian’s potential.
Joveljić made it clear that he wants to score double-digit goals this season. He doesn’t want a repeat of last season where he looked out of place in a starting role.
One player key to Joveljić’s goal is Puig. The two don’t connect often for goals but they did Saturday night where the Serbian played provider and Puig was the finisher.
“I mean, it's amazing to play with such a good player like Riqui. It makes easier job for us. I'm happy because he scored and I assist for him actually,” he told reporters postgame.
“That was a very good assist, but it's not easy to score. So congrats on him and his goal and hopefully we're going to see more assists and more goals.”
If you look at Joveljić’s last eight games in MLS regular season play, he has five goals and two assists in 415 minutes of action. In this span of matches, he’s recording 1.52 goal contributions on a per 90 minute basis.