Photos courtesy of the LA Galaxy.
Giancarlo Gonzalez got the Galaxy going against Real Salt Lake on Sunday night.
It’s been quite a whirlwind week for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Already sitting in last place in the Western Conference, the Galaxy’s dismal 2020 season came to a head this past week when it lost back-to-back games, the first to LAFC in the fourth game of the El Trafico rivalry, which was then followed by a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Portland Timbers in which the Galaxy found themselves down 3-0 by the 30th minute.
Those two losses capped off a run in which the Galaxy had lost eight of its last nine matches. It was also the way it had lost some of those matches that had become a point of contention for the Galaxy, as they have been leaking in goals at an alarming rate, as they gave more than three goals in four of those losses. The Galaxy’s bad run of form had led to the leadership group of the Galaxy’s three supporters groups sending a letter to the front office voicing their displeasure with the team’s performance. All that combined with a lack from production from the Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez resulted in Thursday’s decision to part ways with Guillermo Barros Schelotto as manager, meaning for the second time in his career, Dominic Kinnear assumed duties as interim manager for the Galaxy’s remaining three games, which began on Sunday night against Real Salt Lake.
Yet after all the turmoil, and all the weeks of losses and misery, the Galaxy found a way to put all those negative vibes behind them for one night. The Galaxy got goals from Giancarlo Gonzalez and Cristan Pavon and LA weathered a late strike from RSL, and kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“I thought the ambition was good tonight,” Kinnear said. “I thought we were tackling in good areas and if we weren’t tackling, we were sometimes fouling which is ok it’s a part of the game that you need to show the other team that it’s not going to be an easy evening.”
Gonzalez gave the Galaxy a rare lead in the 17th minute. The Galaxy had a free kick from about 27 yards out, Sebastian Lletget sent the set piece into the Salt Lake penalty area and Gonzalez leaped and headed a ball that got past Keeper Andrew Putna into the back net. The Galaxy took the lead into halftime, then doubled it in the 65th minute. Emil Insua cut off a pass from Everton Luiz and immediately touched a ball to Pavon, who then sprinted forward. Pavon first outraced Justen Glad, then kicked it into second gear, as he sprinted past Marcelo Silva, making Silva look like a traffic cone, as he dribbled into the penalty area and fired a ball past Putna far post. Real Salt Lake did make things interesting in the 78th minute, as Douglas Martinez headed a Justim Meram pass into the back net near post to cut into the Galaxy lead, but the Galaxy held their ground the rest of the match.
I thought Dom took the group really well,” Lletget said. “He’s only had two days to make some changes and incorporate his style of play, which isn’t a very long time. But I think just hope; two games left, if we win all two, if things go our way, we could be in. And what more do you want as a player? You just need that little bit of hope. So I think that more than anything it was that.”
The Galaxy next face Seattle at home on Wednesday.
