Zlatan Ibrahimovic added another two goals to his tally on Saturday night.
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders have been one of the most intense through the decade.
Four times the Galaxy and Sounders have met in the MLS Cup playoffs, and the regular season battles have been just as intense, as the matches usually carried huge implications in the Western Conference, and in the case in 2014, a Supporters Shield implication. Sure enough, just a point separated the two sides in the standings heading into Saturday night’s matchup at Dignity Sports Health Park in Carson.
The rivalry has also featured some traumatic moments, and Saturday’s match at Dignity Sports Health Park in Carson turned out to be no different. This match featured everything, from a straight red card, to a penalty being overturned by Video Review, and yet another back-and-forth goal scoring match, perhaps it was only fitting that the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Not that the Galaxy will see it as a point earned. Having held a one-goal lead late in the second half despite playing with only 10 men, being the team that had a penalty overturned by video review, then seeing that lead disappear on a flukish own-goal, the Galaxy will surely look back at this match as two points lost.
Despite being a man down, having a penalty taken away, then falling behind a goal, the Galaxy still found themselves in position to get the three points midway through the second half. It started in the 65th minute when Rolf Feltscher crossed a ball into the penalty area, Ibrahimovic looked get on the cross, but ended getting taken down to the ground by Kim Kee-hee, and Referee Robert Sibiga signaled for the penalty spot. A minute later Ibrahimovic converted the penalty to stake the Galaxy to the lead.
The Galaxy had a golden chance to seal the three points in the 71st minute. Julian Araujo sent a ball long, Uriel Antuna got behind Joevin Jones and led the break on goal. Antuna had Ibrahimovic in the middle and Cristian Pavon on the right as he dribbled into the penalty area, Antuna chose the safe choice, playing a short cross to Ibrahimovic, who was right in front of goal had an opening at the near post, Ibrahimovic guided the ball towards goal, but surprisingly missed by inches.
That missed chance came back to haunt the Galaxy in the 82nd minute. Nico Lodeiro sent a long ball for Jordan Morris, keeper David Bingham left the box to try and beat Morris to the ball, which he did. Bingham headed a ball, but it went off teammate Jorgen Skjelvik, who had been trailing the play, the ball went Seattle’s way into the penalty area and into the back net for a LA own goal, which tied the match at two.
The madness began the sixth minute, where after keeper Stefan Frei made a lightning quick reactionary save on a Cristian Pavon chance inside the penalty area, the Sounders immediately looked for the counter. Raul Ruidiaz got ahead of Daniel Steres, who ended up pulling down Ruidiaz. Making matters worse for the Galaxy, Sibiga determined Steres denied Ruidiaz a goal-scoring opportunity and thus went with a straight red card, ending Steres’ night early and forcing the Galaxy to play a man down the rest of the night.
If playing man down wasn’t bad enough for the Galaxy, how about a potential penalty taken away by video review. It happened in the 10th minute, as Jonathan Dos Santos received a ball from Fabio Alvarez, tried to get past Cristian Roldan, but got fouled by Roldan and Sibiga initially signaled for the penalty spot. Roldan however claimed that Dos Santos handled the ball prior to the foul, and the VAR decision makers apparently agreed, as Sibiga received the word for video review, and VAR confirmed that the ball did in fact hit off the hand area of Dos Santos prior to the foul, and Sibiga called the penalty back, this denying a golden opportunity for the Galaxy to take control of the match.
All that might have been punishment enough for the Galaxy, but sure enough, they were hit with a third strike late in the first half. Seattle had another counter, Jordan Morris sprinted down the left side into the penalty area, Morris tried to evade Jorgen Skjelvik, but was turned and bumped to the ground, and while no call to the penalty spot was made, Seattle still maintained possession, Harry Shipp played a ball to Ruidiaz, who took a touch before firing a shot that beat keeper David Bingham far post for a 42nd minute goal to give the Sounders the lead.
Yet despite the ever decreasing odds, the Galaxy kept their heads up, got one chance right before the half and made the most of it. Sebastian Lletget took a ball from Rolf Feltscher, played a cross into the penalty area and Ibrahimovic overpowered Kim-Kee-hee in the air and headed a ball just outside the six-yard box that beat Frei to the back post to level the match at one.
