Call it a do-over for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Sitting one spot out of last place in the Western Conference and coming off an ugly home loss to the Colorado Rapids in the first game back on the West End of Dignity Health Sports Park for the Galaxy supporters group Angel City Brigade, the Galaxy surely viewed its opening game of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup against the Seattle Sounders as an opportunity to hit the reset button and kickstart a campaign to win a trophy.
The Galaxy accomplished just that on Wednesday night, looking like a completely different team as opposed to Saturday night. Memo Rodriguez was the catalyst for the Galaxy, scoring two second half goals, and that along with Julian Aude’s hightlight opening strike got the Galaxy’s USOC run going, as they eliminated the Sounders with a 3-1 win.
“I think just for the guys, like just the emotion of scoring three goals, you know, I think that helps obviously,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “It loosens things up getting more guys involved in the game and some guys going. It helps those guys to feel like they’re part of it. So, I think anytime you win, it helps the emotion.”
It only took the Galaxy four minutes to get going. Tyler Boyd sent a corner kick into the penalty area, the ball was cleared out, but found the foot of Aude, and he blasted a left-footed volley from about 25 yards out and the shot beat Keeper Stefan Cleveland into the back net. The Galaxy endured a brief scare later in the half, as Seattle’s Fredy Montero headed a ball towards an empty net, but Galaxy defender Calegari managed to clear the ball at the goal line.
The Galaxy took the lead into the half, then doubled it in the 66th minute, as Boyd sent another corner kick into the penalty area, the ball bounced inside the box and right to the feet of Rodriguez, and he sent his own left-footed volley from the left side past Cleveland far post to make it a two-goal Galaxy lead. The Sounders however halved the lead just two minutes later, as Ethan Dobbelaere crossed into the penalty area and Paul Rothrock headed a ball into the back net to keep Seattle in the match. The Galaxy though weren’t fazed this time, as they first wore down the Sounders, then delivered the knockout blow in the 84th minute, as Raheem Edwards dribbled down the left side of the field, played a ball to Dejan Joveljic, who then sent a pass to his left. Edwards made a run, then made a dummy that screened Sounders defender Travian Sousa from the ball which enabled the ball to find the feet of Rodriguez, and he shot from basically the same spot as his first goa, only this time, she shot right footed, but the result was the same, as they shot beat Cleveland to the back net to restore LA’s two-goal lead and the Galaxy were home free.
“”You saw that whenever we scored it just made everybody relax a bit and be themselves,” Rodriguez said. :Everybody did their job today and I think that was an important thing to see and obviously in the third goal it was great build up with Decky [Dejan Joveljić] and Rah [Raheem Edwards] I told Rah to let go because I was right there in a good position so just following up the play and getting the shot on target. I think that was the biggest things I needed to do is get shot on target and you never know the ball can go in or the ball can go out so it was important for me to hit the target today.”
The Galaxy next jump back into MLS play on Sunday, as they welcome the San Jose Earthquakes for the first edition of the 2023 California Clasico.
