Takeaways: LA Galaxy scoreless draw in Charlotte extends winless run
Novak Mićović and the LA Galaxy conclude their road trip with back-to-back draws
The LA Galaxy and Charlotte FC share a point following a scoreless draw on Saturday night to conclude a two-game road trip. LA has recorded four straight draws and is winless in five games.
The Galaxy had to be patient to break down a very defensive Charlotte side. Opportunities came for the SoCal club but they couldn’t get past goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. Let’s get into the takeaways from this match.
Pec’s Time to Shine
Joseph Paintsil suffered a hamstring strain during Wednesday’s match in Minnesota and will miss a few weeks according to Head Coach Greg Vanney. The right winger role on the LA Galaxy belongs to Gabriel Pec -LA’s record signing this past winter.
Against Charlotte, Pec created five chances, completed 35 passes out of 39 pass attempts, two shots on target and won four out of five duels.
“I thought the opportunities were there for [Pec] to make a difference. I'd still like to see him run without the ball a little more to really build speed and angle his runs in towards the goal because I think he'll have more opportunities on goal, especially on a night like tonight,” said Vanney about the Brazilian’s performance.
The Galaxy tends to attack down the right flank and rarely attack through the left where Pec usually plays. Paintsil’s injury now moves Pec to the right and thus you saw him involved in a higher volume of the Galaxy’s forward movement.
He was the direct outlet for the entire game and would attack the space Charlotte couldn’t cut down in time. Pec had one of the best chances of the night in the 64th minute of the match that he shot wide.
”I felt that [Pec] had the position on the night to really make a difference based on where the space was and where the opportunities existed but unfortunately, he wasn't able to make that final difference,” Vanney told reporters.
“I thought it was a pretty solid performance but I think we'll both say, he and I, that he could have made the difference in the game and we could have gone home with the three points.”
The pressure is building on the Brazilian to begin to register more goals and assists with Paintsil out of the lineup. These next few games will give a solid sample size of what he can do on the right wing and if that is his best position for the Galaxy.
First Impression for Mićović
One of the Galaxy’s biggest changes in the starting lineup was goalkeeper Novak Mićović making his first start of the campaign. It’s not too often you see goalkeeper rotation but Vanney pointed out in his postgame presser that it was preplanned for the third game of the week.
The 22-year-old Serbian made four appearances across all competitions for the Galaxy last year. He flashed potential with his shot-stopping and impressive distribution quality. The Galaxy triggered the option-to-buy clause in his loan this offseason and signed him until the end of the 2026 season.
Mićović recorded two saves and posted his first career shutout for LA in the match against Charlotte. He didn’t face many difficult shots and Charlotte also missed some good shooting opportunities during the match.
“I'm happy to have my first game in the season and I hope to play more in the season,” said Mićović postgame.
The Serbian’s only blemish during the game was when he failed to control the ball close to his goal but recovered in time to clear it away.
“I thought the choices in his build were very good. His distribution choices I thought were smart and good. And he made the saves that he needed to make and there wasn't a ton of big crazy saves that he had to make but I thought he managed the box and managed all his situations well,” said Vanney when asked to asses Mićović’s performance.
“I thought it was a very solid night for him and he deserved the start. Happy for him.”
Time will tell how much playing time the young Serbian will get this season. Recording a clean sheet and putting in a solid outing is a great way to show you can step up when called upon.
Winless Run Continues
The Galaxy ends a cross-country road trip picking up points but it’s not enough to end the club’s current winless run. The Galaxy has cooled down from its sensational start to the 2024 campaign with four points accumulated out of a possible 15 in the last five matches.
“It's a tough period for us now. It's not a disaster but obviously not (a) great moment, to be honest. We are on the edge.”
- Maya Yoshida
It’s still not time to sound the alarms about the Galaxy but the pressure is mounting for the club to get wins at home now. The Western Conference has multiple teams with similar point totals - that Galaxy doesn’t want to get caught in that rat race.
“We traveled like 4,500 miles this week, very tough for me, maybe easier for young players. Now we have many home games coming up. We need to get those three points as much as possible to stay in the good place in the table,” said Yoshida postgame.
The Galaxy will play four out of their next five games at home. LA will get back-to-back home games for the first time this season during this stretch.
“This is a big phase for us to really build some momentum in all ways being in front of our fans and being at home for this next stretch,” said Vanney.
“Obviously we've got to go on the road once more, but hopefully build on the momentum and get some points.”
Yoshida reiterated a similar sentiment saying,” That's why [the]next home games [are] very important. We go right back to L.A. and refresh and prepare for the good game at home. It's going to be a must (win) game for us, great opportunity, and will be a great atmosphere in the stadium. So, we'll see.”
The Galaxy have a good opportunity to get their season back on course to stay near the top of the Western Conference with these upcoming home matches. Recording ties won’t be enough for the LA Galaxy as the season begins to reach the midway point.