Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored two goals in Saturday’s 3-0 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
By Ivan Yeo
So goes Zlatan, so goes the Galaxy.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has certainly lived up to the billing since arriving with the Galaxy back in March. On Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps in another crucial match with playoff implications, Ibrahimovic proved once again why despite his advancing age, he still one of he top strikers in the league, let alone MLS. Ibrahimovic scored another two goals and had a hand in a third goal as the Galaxy trounced the Whitecaps 3-0 at StubHub Center.
“Vancouver is a good team, but we played very well,”. “We came onto the field with a lot of expectations and we showed them that we play at home with a lot of [aggression]. When you go up 1-0 after two or three minutes it’s easier for us. After that we played good soccer and we have a lot quality in this team. We showed tonight that we can get to playoffs.”
The win is a huge one for the Galaxy, who are now just one point behind Real Salt Lake for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Galaxy will be rooting for Sporting Kansas City to upend RSL, a scenario few would have thought was possible just two weeks agon when Sigi Schmid left as Galaxy head coach and Dominic Kinnear took over on an interim basis. Yet here the Galaxy are, well within striking distance of the playoffs with just three matches left to play.
“The club changed the coach and they wanted a reaction and I think they got a reaction,” Ibrahimovic said. “We are not doing it by luck. As I said here last time, we are a threat for every team if we play like this. I bet you whatever you want. Nobody wants to get us in the playoffs because we are dangerous if we do what we do like we do it now. Just hope for them that we don’t make it to the playoffs.”
It took just three minutes to get the Galaxy going in the match. Ibrahimovic crossed a ball just outside the penalty area, Romain Alessandrini took a touchd into the boxm, Marcel De Jong tried to stop him but ended up kicking Alessandrini in his right leg and referee Baldomero Toledo whistled for the penalty spot. Ibrahimovic stepped forth and buried the penalty to his left, even as keeper Stefan Marinovich guessed correctly.
Ibrahimovic was just getting started. Ibrahimovic had a chance at a second goal earlier in the match, but his free kick in the 13th minute just missed the far post. No matter, Ibrahimovic soon had another shot in the second half. Ibrahmovic played a ball to Rolf Feltscher, whp played it back to Ibrahimovic, who then sprinted for goal with almost relative ease. Ibrahimovic then juked Aly Ghazal on his way inside the box and blasted a right footed shot that beat Marinovic into the upper net to double the Galaxy lead in the 58th minute.
Ibrahimovic didn’t score the Galaxy’s third goal, but he played a role in it. It started in the 75th minute, as Ibrahimovc took a ball from Emmanuel Boateng as sbroke for goal. Vancouver’s Doniell Henry stayed with him into the box. tried to strip him of the ball, but ended up kicking him in his right leg and Toledo again whistled for the penalty spot. While Ibrahimovic drew the penalty, it was Alessandrini who drew the honors of taking the penalty and he succeeded.
“For this one, I just asked him, ‘can I get this one?’ and he told me first, let me score a hat trick. I said ‘please’ and he said ‘okay go ahead,’” Alesandrini said. “So, thank you for him and it was good for me to get a goal.”
“Romain [Alessandrini] came and he asked and I give,” Ibrahimovic said. “Like I said when I came the first day I’m not here to do a one man show. I’m here for the team to help them and we need all the players we have. If Romain feels confident of course he should take it. I think that was more important than my hat trick, so we need all the players we have especially now in this moment. I need him as well as he needs me and the team needs us and we need the team. It’s the way we play, it’s the collective game. And he scored, more importantly.”
Also notable for the Galaxy has been the performance of the defense, which prior to its last two matches have been surrendering goals in bunches. Now the Galaxy backline can boast about back to back shutouts.
“I think we’re getting pressure on the ball; which makes it easier for the other people to see where the ball is going,” Kinnear said. “I think Dave Romney and Daniel Steres have played very well. We did know that today Vancouver was going to come in, and they have a way they can play sometimes, and they did that when they passed the ball to Kei [Kamara]. We just asked for Dave [Romney] or Daniel [Steres] to be close to him to make his run for the ball a little bit difficult. But, I do think that the pressure we’ve been putting to the ball has been good, and I think it’s been a collective effort which has been great.”
The Galaxy will hope to carry the momentum into it’s next match, and it will be a doozy, as they travel to face Sporting Kansas City on October 6.
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