Photos courtesy of the LA Galaxy.
Kevin Cabral, center-left, scored his first goal as a member of the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night.
What a difference three days make.
After a Fourth of July match in which the LA Galaxy created chance after chance, only to come up empty handed on both the scoresheet and the win column, the Galaxy were finally able to finish some scoring chances on Wednesday night against FC Dallas. Rayan Raveloson, Kevin Cabral and Ethan Zubak were the finishers for the Galaxy, as they coasted past visiting Dallas 3-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“I thought in the first half the ball movement was good,” LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “I thought the guys played with intention and purpose to get behind, to attack and to create chances. [There were] a lot of similarities to the last game except we put the ball in the back of the net and we rewarded ourselves for the opportunities that were created.”
The Galaxy first struck in the 17th minute, as Victor Vazquez sent a corner kick into the penalty area and Raveloson overpowered John Nelson and headed a ball that sailed past keeper Jimmy Maurer far post to get things going for the Galaxy. It became a two-goal lead in the 27th minute, as Sebastian Lletget and Samuel Grandsir worked a one-two, Lletget took the ball and dribbled into the penalty area towards the end line, Lletget played a cross back, Cabral, who trailed the play, was unmarked in the box when he received the pass and immediately one-timed a shot past Maurer near post for his first goal in a Galaxy shirt, which doubled the advantage. The Galaxy kept their foot on the pedal as Grandsir fired a left-footed volley inside the 18, but the ball went off the crossbar. Nevertheless, the Galaxy took its two-goal lead into the locker room.
The Galaxy were then gifted a third goal in the 51st minute. Dallas defender attempted to head a ball to Maurer, but did not put nearly enough on the header, Zubak stayed with the play and ended up with the ball, rounded past an out-of-position Maurer and slotted a shot that snuck in at the near post to make a three-goal Galaxy lead.
“It was definitely a spur of the moment,” Zubak said of the goal. “It was one of those things where you have seen defenders make that mistake in games and it almost seemed like I was down his back and that it was a tight pass with the goalkeeper so I knew that it could be something to where a mistake could be made.”
The only blemish on a rather flawless night for the Galaxy was that it did not get the shutout, as Dallas got a goal back in the 71st minute. Jesus Ferreira sent a long ball forward, Raveloson missed on the clearance attempt and Franco Jara was the beneficiary of the mistake, as he took the ball, sprung for the penalty area, Galaxy keeper Jonathan Bond came off his line, Jara poked a ball past Bond and sent the shot into the back net. Still, the lead was too much to overcome for FC Dallas.
