What went wrong at Rose Bowl for the LA Galaxy
Breaking down the key moments that led to LA Galaxy's 2-1 loss to LAFC on Independance Day
The LA Galaxy fell 2-1 to LAFC at the Rose Bowl in front of 70,076 fans on Independence Day. The Galaxy entered the match with four straight wins and LAFC had yet to taste defeat in nine straight games. The match felt like a chess match at times but the black and gold took advantage in the most important moments.
LAFC recorded the better chances in the first half, with the best chance being Eduard Ateusta’s shot that hit the post. That was a prelude to LAFC’s triumphant end to the first half.
Striker Kei Kamara scored off a corner kick in the 40th minute to put the black and gold up on the scoreboard. It was the 11th goal the Galaxy had conceded off a dead-ball situation.
LAFC doubled its lead minutes later with a Denis Bouanga penalty in the 44th minute. Julian Aude fouled Atuesta in the box and VAR confirmed the call. The worst possible way to end the first half from an LA Galaxy perspective.
The Galaxy did find its rhythm in the second half – with more progressive attacks. Gabriel Pec scored his seventh goal of the season. Some good close control at the edge of the box led to Pec getting a strike at goal that beat LAFC’s Hugo Lloris. LA had some half chances but nothing to test LAFC’s goal until the final whistle.
“We were purposeless in the first half. It’s like we were going to win the game putting together ten thousand passes and going nowhere and that is what we said at half time. We were down 2-0 because we deserved to be down 2-0. We had three shots in the first half, all of them from 25 yards away,” said coach Greg Vanney postgame.
“This one, it sucks. It sucks to lose, you know, but it’s a tale of two halves and in a big game that we prepare for it. We believe we can win. Just doesn't work in this in this league. You got to put in good shifts for 90 minutes. So it was a tough one to still figure out,” John McCarthy told reporters.
Vanney made a bold and interesting tactical decision for the match involving his most in-form player. Instead of starting Pec at the right wing, Vanney moved him to the left and started Joseph Paintsil on the right. The Brazilian had recorded two goals and four assists in his last six games for the G’s, he’s become the LA Galaxy’s most consistent attacker when put on that side of the field.
Both wingers had little effect on the first half and never looked to threaten LAFC’s goal. Sergi Palencia put in a solid defensive shift on Pec and would later when matched up against Paintsil. The Galaxy’s shot map in the first half showed LA was relying on Puig to have a go at goal instead of using the wingers to create better high-quality chances.
“It just comes down to the overall aggressiveness of our group and the aggressiveness of those two players because each of them can make a difference on the left or on the right,” said Vanney postgame.
Pec took a hold of the game in the second half playing at his usual spot on the right. He was dynamic and dribbled past LAFC’s left side of their defense on multiple occasions. His impact on the match is why the Galaxy started to gain momentum in the second half.
That switch between the two wingers felt like it came too late. The Galaxy had the attacking momentum but was up against it because of the two-goal buffer LAFC had established.
“In the second half, we were able to get [Pec and Paintsil] better looks. One-on-one situations or getting them on the run so they're attacking aggressively, and then they have an impact on the game. We've got to do more of that. I'm not interested in being a possession team for the sake of passing the ball around, said Vanney.
“We need to use possession to put the opposition on their heels to score goals to bury them and make them feel like we're relentlessly coming at them, not so they can set up and be comfortable and turn us over and go the other way.”
One of the few bright spots in the match was 20-year-old Jalen Neal. The U.S. international was away at the Gold Cup during last season’s Rose Bowl game but stood out positively on Thursday night.
LAFC looked to be on the counterattack and took full advantage of transition moments when the G’s put a foot wrong in possession. Neal held his own in emergency defensive situations against Bouanga – the reigning Golden Boot winner. Neal’s positioning and composure were on point to prevent LAFC from taking full advantage of transition moments.
“He's the best player…super fast and technical when going at you, so I just had to keep that in mind, not to try to guess where he was going to go but try to just be reactive, kind of just go off instinct,” said Neal.
“It worked out for me. I was preparing a lot. I knew he was going to be on the left side and he's a difficulty for a lot of outside backs. I see highlights from him a lot, so I kind of know some tricks he likes to do”.
The blemish on Neal was his defending of Kamara for the black and gold’s first goal. The 39-year-old leaped above the young defender with ease and it’s a situation Neal wished he could get back.
“I could have done a much better job guarding, getting more physical with him, not letting him get his run going, and obviously getting up on him before he did that leap,” Neal told the media. “I could have done a much better job preventing him from getting that goal and even more chances”.
Neal has to work on his aerial dominance, it is the one sector of his game where he’s lacking. Most centerbacks have that physical and aerial presence to throw off opposing players but Neal still has ways to go to develop that. Nonetheless, his talent continues to shine as the season progresses.
“Jalen’s has been consistent all season and he's a good young player... He's one of those guys. I think ..that when he'll get his minutes, he'll get his games and he'll find a good rhythm,” said McCarthy.
“I see Jalen doing big things. He showed tonight he is a good young center back.”
LAFC is undefeated against the LA Galaxy this season and holds the bragging rights of the city. Under the lights at the Rose Bowl, the black and gold pounced on its chances while the G’s took a while to get out of first gear. The loss drops the LA Galaxy to third place with RSL in the Western Conference.
“ [LAFC] are a good team and you can’t have first halves like we had today, you can’t because they are a team that can capitalize,” said Vanney.
“We have to reduce the number of balls lost between their lines and just purposeless possession or losses of possession unnecessarily. We’ve got to hurt them and we’ve got to be able to do that for 90 minutes, we can’t do that for 45 minutes when we are down 2-0.”
Puig made his return to the starting lineup and had his moments sporadically during the game. He was LA’s main source of offense in the first half as he took multiple shots from 25 yards out that made Lloris work. But once again he struggled to create a chance for the G’s. This is now the third consecutive match versus the LAFC where the Spaniard has recorded no chances created.
The two sides will meet again on Sep. 14 at Dignity Health Sports Park with the potential to play a role in playoff seeding. With back-to-back losses to the black and gold, LA Galaxy views this matchup as one we will see come playoff time.
“We believe this is going to be the Western Conference Final—the game that gets us to the MLS Cup final,” said Neal.
“It was good preparation for sure. Next time we obviously have to do better and kind of stick to our game plan from the jump.”
“The first game for me was a little bit of just and early trial, an early test for us, we were a mish mash a little bit, Edwin [Cerillo] was in the back line, we had two guys that were fresh to the club. This is one that is a little bit of where you at kind of scenario and in the first half we weren’t there and in the second half we were there so the question is can we be there for 90 minutes,” Vanney told reporters.
“That is where we need to be when the next one comes and the next one after that.”