The month of July has seen mixed results for the LA Galaxy.
Entering Friday’s match against the Portland Timbers, the Galaxy were still holding the third spot in the Western Conference, but had gone just 1-3-1 in its previous five games. Moreso, the Galaxy have spent the entire month without its start striker Javier Chicharito Hernandez, who has missed those five games with a calf injury and was inactive again on Friday night against the Timbers.
However, the Galaxy on Friday overcame all that and a slow start to Friday’s match, and awakened at just the right time. Goals from Rayan Raveloson, Victor Vazquez, Sacha Kljestan and Samuel Grandsir, along with the play of Right Back Julian Araujo propelled the Galaxy to a 4-1 win over Portland at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“We got off to a very slow start,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “We would recover balls instead of playing a quick pass out to be able to get out of the area where we recovered the ball, and we were slow in transition. We were slow to get into good spots. We were behind the speed of the game and they were playing around us like we weren’t there and when we got it, we were giving it back.”
The Galaxy took the lead in the 27th minute in spectacular fashion. Victor Vazquez sent a corner kick into the penalty area, the ball was deflected high in the air, which turned out to be the perfect setup for Ravelson, as he leaped and attempted the bicycle kick, and Raveloson hit the ball towards the far post and crossed the goal line without any resistance from keeper Steve Clark. Raveloson then ran to the Galaxy bench and him and Julian Araujo displayed Galaxy jerseys, Raveloson of Zizinho and Araujo of Jonathan Dos Santos as a tribute to Zizinho, father of Jonathan Dos Santos and former Galaxy player Giovani Dos Santos, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 59.
Photo courtesy of the LA Galaxy.
The LA Galaxy paid tribute to Jonathan Dos Santos, who’s father, Zizinho, passed away on Thursday.
Portland however got themselves back into the game just a minute later. Diego Valeri touched a ball forward, which sprung Yimmi Chara for goal, Chara played a short pass to Jeremy Ebobisse, who waited patiently until he found a sightline and he capitalized, shooting a left-footed shot that beat keeper Jonathan Bond near post to level the Timbers with the Galaxy. LA however snatched the lead right back five minutes later. Julian Araujo sprung Kevin Cabral for goal, Cabral dribbled into the penalty area, made a cutting move inside before firing a left-footed shot on goal that was stopped by Clark, but Ethan Zubak kept the play alive for the Galaxy, Zubak then played a cross back out of the box for Araujo, who probed and probed before taking the ball back into the penalty area, crossed a ball and Vazquez headed a ball past Clark into the back net to regain the lead for the Galaxy.
The Galaxy then put the game away early in the second half. The Galaxy where gifted a chance in the 52nd minute when Clark was whistled for foul inside the penalty area when he tried to punch a ball away, only to end up colliding into Cabral. Sacha Kljestan stepped up to the penalty spot and converted the goal in the 53rd minute to gave LA the two-goal lead. The Galaxy put a bow on the evening in the 56th minute, as Araujo on another overlapping run dribbled into the penalty area, sent a cross that hovered around the six-yard box, Samuel Grandsir swooped in and made a diving header that beat Clark far post.
