Takeaways: LA Galaxy fight back to earn 2-2 draw in Seattle
Miki Yamane’s late equalizer helps LA avoid a sweep at the hands of Seattle
The Galaxy salvaged a point at the death once again, this time against a red-hot Sounders team still riding a high from their historic Leagues Cup triumph.
The Sounders would jump out to the early lead in the fifth minute when Jesus Fereira put away a smart cut back by Danny Musovski. Another early blunder by the Galaxy backline, this time with Maya Yoshida and Chris Rindov at the center of it.
Musovski would double the lead in the 42nd minute, this time on the receiving end of a similar cross from Paul Rothrock. Yoshida and Rindov were caught up in the build-up once again, losing track of Seattle's striker in the box.
The Galaxy would get one back with a set piece just two minutes later. Diego Fagundez worked up the wing and found a leaping Yoshida on the other end of his cross.
LA would find an equalizer in the 87th minute when Miki Yamane found himself in front of a loose ball in front of the goal and left little for Stefan Frei to do with it.
The draw keeps the Galaxy’s season alive – for now – as a loss tonight would’ve seen LA officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Miki’s Moment
The emotion from Miki Yamane was well warranted. The Japanese full back has been one of the most consistent players on the LA Galaxy since his arrival last season, and he was rewarded with his first MLS goal for the club.
Vanney praised his performance in the match and revealed that Yamane’s play was so good that it forced him to place substitute Mauricio Cuevas on the left wing rather than his natural position at right back.
“[Yamane] has been working the last few weeks, a lot on just his final action, the crosses, some finishing stuff, things like that. Getting yourself into those positions is part of it, and I thought he did a nice job of doing that throughout the course of the game. There's times where we talk to Joe [Paintsil] at half and Miki was making great runs and we needed to reward him for those runs,” said Vanney.
With Yoshida’s first-half goal and Yamane’s game-tying goal, it marked the first time in MLS history that two Japanese-born players on the same team scored in the same MLS match.
“He's very happy. He said, "I'm happy!" But he said the most important thing today is we defend together and attack together,” said Yoshida when asked about how Yamane celebrated in the locker room.
“There's no doubt he was happy. Again he's been putting in a lot of work lately just to try to improve on a few things that maybe he felt like he wasn't doing as well as he wanted to,” said Vanney.
Micovic’s Strong Showing
The Serbian goalkeeper was the most impactful player on the night for the G’s. Despite allowing two goals, Micovic showed his shot-stopping abilities and was mostly responsible for LA stealing a point in Cascadia.
Vanney told reporters postgame that goalkeeper coach Kevin Hartman had a discussion with Micovic at halftime. He wanted the Serbian to be aggressive and command his box. It was that mentality that brought the best out of him, according to Vanney.
“When he's like that, he's a very good goalkeeper, and he really helps our group. Especially when he's taking those balls out of the air, it helps us out so much. That's one of the reasons why he's been pushed in there with that opportunity is to show us that range and that cover and taking and controlling more of his box,” said Vanney.
As LA’s starting goalkeeper, Micovic has to be vocal. It’s his position, and he needs to own it. The LA Galaxy is investing in Micovic to be that commanding figure in the backline, but it’s still something he is learning. Yoshida gave insight into Micovic’s character.
“Personality, he's very quiet, especially after Dejan [Jovelic] left, he's even more quiet,” said LA’s captain.
“The goalkeeper always has to show strong character, great spirit, and fighting identity. The goalkeeper career is very strange to be honest. Everything happen very quickly, then boom, then one thing happens and everything changed. John McCarthy left, and now it's competition between J.T. and Novak. J.T. is still a good player, so there is competition. This kind of environment is very important to improve young careers and we have to keep pushing him and helping him, as well,” added Yoshida.
LA’s captain said Micovic “needs to improve many things,” but praised his performance on the road. The Galaxy could’ve conceded more goals on the night, but the Serbian stood tall in moments. Performances like that build confidence for Micovic and for the club, which is starting to see glimpses of potential for Micovic to be the long-term starter.
Fighting Back
What stood out most wasn’t the equalizer itself but the mentality behind it. On the road, down two goals, and up against a Sounders team that rarely lets points slip at home, it would’ve been easy for the Galaxy to shut it down. Instead, they kept pressing. This game would’ve been a loss for the Galaxy earlier in the season.
“We showed some stabilities, at least. Of course, we're not winning, which isn't great. But, well, probably beginning of the season, it would be 3-0, 4-0. Instead, we are showing stabilities, and finally today we came back, same as Houston, and got one point,” said Yoshida.
Younger players like Elijah Wynder and Harbor Miller pushed the tempo, Diego Fagundez kept creating from wide areas, and Yamane capped it off with the kind of opportunistic finish this team has often lacked in tight games.
“Super proud of the guys,” said Vanney in his presser.
“This is not an easy place to come and get a point, especially if you go down two to take a point out of it. Really happy for them, this particular group of players has picked up a win and two draws on the road, and it's been most of these guys just working collectively and sticking to the program. So it's been fun for them and fun to watch them.”
This wasn’t a polished performance by any stretch. The defensive lapses remain a glaring problem, but the Galaxy showed it’s not a side that quits. The late response in Seattle follows a pattern we’ve seen throughout the year, where LA has found ways to claw back in matches they looked dead in.
That resilience hasn’t always produced wins, especially not on the road, but a result like this shows what this team is capable of and keeps spirits up as they enter the final stretch of the season. When you consider the long list of absences for this match, the Galaxy put up a decent result.
“We play against Seattle for the third time in a short period. I didn't want to lose three times in a row. Even we had a lot of injured players, and we show stabilities and great spirits,” added Yoshida.
That final stretch finds its way back to Dignity Health Sports Park next week, as the Galaxy host Supporters Shield contenders FC Cincinnati.