Takeaways: Miguel Berry rescues a point in LA Galaxy's 2-2 draw against RSL
The Galaxy continues its unbeaten run at home with a late equalizer from backup striker Miguel Berry. Greg Vanney’s team recorded a 2-2 draw against Conference leaders Real Salt Lake in dramatic fashion on Saturday night.
Chicho Arango opened up the scoring for the visitors in the 21st minute by leaping over Maya Yoshida and heading the ball into the back of the net. The Galaxy was in control of the game and had the better goal-scoring chances for the majority of the first half but RSL began to turn the momentum in the final 15 minutes. Arango recorded his brace in the 42nd minute to cap off a well-worked team goal.
The Galaxy found its way back through Gabriel Pec’s goal in the 55th minute. All three Galaxy Designated Players combined on the build-up for the second time this season, with Puig picking up the assist. LA chased a game-tying goal but couldn’t find the clinical finish in their chances.
In the dying seconds of the game, Puig whipped in a hopeful cross in the box that backup striker Miguel Berry dove for to get a slight touch on and lead it past Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath. The crowd of 25,220 fans at Dignity Health Sports Park erupted with a game-tying goal out of nowhere.
“I heard the keeper call for it and couldn't believe that he, I don't think, maybe he didn't see me. I knew if I just nicked in front, it could get in there. Really happy to score and obviously wanted the three points, but we'll take the point given the situation.”
- Miguel Berry
Right Place, Right Time
It was the perfect time for Berry to score his first LA Galaxy goal. After back-to-back underwhelming starts, the Spanish striker showed he can bring value to Vanney’s team.
Berry dove to win positioning on Puig’s cross despite a low chance to score. That extra effort was the difference between LA suffering its first home loss of the season and a point.
“It was one of those balls that's a tweener, a tough one to read. And Miguel was the first one to get a touch on it and it found its way into the back of the net,” said Vanney to reporters postgame.
The celebration of the goal was the best moment of the night. The stands came alive as the players swarmed Berry to celebrate with him. Veteran Martín Cáceres jumped into Berry’s arms as he headed towards the LA Galaxy bench.
“[Cáceres] is one of those people who makes your day better every single day. He's incredibly funny and unique and he's had a great career, and he's such a big part of the group,” said Berry.
“For him to celebrate like that with us shows how much it means. He's played Champions League finals, won Champions League finals and played four World Cups. It's incredible, guys like that, celebrate with the team, means a lot.”
Gaining this momentum is huge for the LA Galaxy’s upcoming two-game road trip. The Galaxy needs Berry to have more of these moments as Dejan Joveljic remains less than 100% due to a hip injury.
“It's obviously a great feeling as a team to have those moments and when you look back on your career and your life, those are the moments that stick with you”
- Berry
Missing Finishing Boots
Up until Berry’s goal, the story of the game was LA not being clinical in front of goal. The Galaxy started the game with the best chances and for the rest of the match, the SoCal club had multiple opportunities that couldn’t get past MacMath.
“Scoring a goal was not easy for us tonight. It was not our night when it came to that side of things; the amount of chances that we had over the course of the game was pretty significant I felt like and we just were not able to execute at the right speed or put the ball in the right spot,” said Vanney.
The Galaxy finished the match with an xG of 2.86 while RSL recorded 1.21. Puig finished with 0.64 and Joseph Paintsil recorded 0.69.
Paintsil had the best chances on the night but failed to put his shots on frame. A frustrating night for the Ghanaian and it showed it as he walked straight to the locker room once he was subbed out of the game. (Video Credit: @LAGalaxy310 on X)
Vanney told reporters postgame that Paintsil was disappointed and frustrated with his performance. He also mentioned that Paintsil holds high standards for himself in matches. Vanney said he talked to him just before he began his press conference.
Games like this happen from time to time to many soccer players around the world. Paintsil was a threat all night long but lacked that final killer shot. He’ll have his chance to get back on the pitch soon as LA travels to face Minnesota United on Wednesday night.
The Return of Riqui
The LA Galaxy's scoreless run of games came to an end as Puig made his return to the pitch.
The Spanish midfielder tallied two assists, won 11 of 11 duels, completed seven of seven dribbles, logged 73 accurate passes (83%) and created three chances in 90 minutes of action.
Puig was just an offensive threat that Salt Lake struggled all night to contain. His dribbling in the midfield was a class above the rest, showed his spectacular vision to keep the ball moving forward and he was LA’s driving force as it looked for an equalizer in the final moments.
His game is far from perfect but he did exactly what the Galaxy needs from him. He passed the ball to Pec in stride from him to be direct and take a shot that led to LA’s first goal. While crossing isn’t the most efficient way to create chances, he managed to put the ball in no man’s land for RSL as Berry got the crucial touch to tie the game.
The Galaxy is seeing performances worthy of the number 10 jersey from Puig. His performance against Salt Lake showed how valuable he is for Vanney’s side to be dangerous.