Three takeaways from LA Galaxy's 2-1 loss to LAFC
The LA Galaxy suffered its first defeat of the season to rivals LAFC in 2-1 loss at BMO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Galaxy sit in second place in the Western Conference with 12 points through seven games played in the 2024 campaign.
The Galaxy conceded just four minutes into the game through a corner kick - Timothy Tillman was left unmarked at the near post to touch the ball into the back of the net. Julian Aude had a bit of a pinball moment in the box with multiple shots in the box but scored the equalizer in the 29th minute.
LAFC was awarded a controversial penalty kick and Denis Bouanga converted from the spot. The second half saw LAFC sit back and defend its lead until the final whistle. Here are my three takeaways from the match.
Out of their hands
The main takeaway from this game is that the LA Galaxy didn’t lose this game by playing bad soccer but instead from elements out of their control. While there still needs to be better organization on set pieces, I thought the Galaxy defense did a good job in open play.
Let’s start with the obvious, the penalty called on Miki Yamane. If you haven’t seen the play, here it is:
With the game tied at 1-1, this controversial penalty switched the momentum in the game and away from the Galaxy. The discourse surrounding the penalty almost unanimously believes there wasn’t much contact on Bouanga and that he sold the contact to get the whistle. The match officiating was inconsistent for most of the night and took too much of a hold of the game negatively for the Galaxy.
“I'll say it over and over again, in this league and if referees don't call fouls, the teams that have the ball are going to lose a lot of games. That's the way it is. Referees don't know, the standard of the penalty foul was not the standard of the foul for the whole game. That's the especially glaring part of it all”
- Greg Vanney to reporters after LA’s 2-1 loss to LAFC
With the LA Galaxy chasing a game-tying goal, it played into LAFC’s counter-attacking tendencies in the second half. LA would lose the ball with players high up the pitch and LAFC’s wingers would then run at full pace to attack the space. Goalkeeper John McCarthy made excellent saves in his return to his old grounds and it also helped that Denis Bouanga missed a shot with a wide-open net in front of him to keep the Galaxy in the game.
If Bouanga didn’t get the penalty call, the game would’ve gone in a completely different direction. It’s always going to be frustrating to play a possession game when the other team is going to sit back and clog up the final third. Breaking down teams in a low block is one major hurdle the Galaxy needs to figure out as the season goes on.
Sub-par from Puig
In my leadup to the game in my match preview and during COG’s live pregame show, I made it clear that Riqui Puig needed to elevate his game and lead the LA Galaxy to victory. His 90-minute performance in El Trafico showed more of his flaws than his best attributes.
Once Puig got the ball there were multiple moments he overcomplicated some decisions and lost the ball in bad areas with poor passes for a majority of the game. LAFC was comfortable in letting Puig progress with the ball but made sure to limit his options when he entered the final third.
This now makes three games with uncharacteristic performances from LA’s Spanish Designated Player. While he’s still providing a good impact for the Galaxy offensively, it’s not at the level you know he can achieve. He just needs to be a much more efficient player on the ball in certain situations.
Aude’s Breakout
One under-the-radar story this season is Julian Aude taking a solid step forward in his sophomore season with the LA Galaxy.
Aude recorded his first career MLS goal, completed 39 of 44 passes (88.6%), and won seven of 13 duels and two possessions in the match against LAFC.
He’s built consistency on both sides of the ball, especially in the attack. Aude’s biggest impact with the Galaxy comes in possession as he has good attacking tendencies. He does well in wide areas and his ability on the ball to create space is very much needed in a possession team.
On the defensive end, Aude does well to stick to his man and cover ground. He’s improved his one-on-one ability and currently leads the Galaxy with 26 tackles and interceptions this season. The main worry with Aude is getting caught high up the pitch as he’s the full back that tends to push higher up the pitch.
Aude is showing why the Galaxy invested in him for now and the future with his solid performances in 2024. There are no questions about him being the starting left back, unlike his rocky first season with the club.