LA Down the Rapids Behind a McBean Brace by Chris Brown
Colorado Rapids hosted Los Angeles Galaxy for a midweek meeting between Western Conference Rivals.
Both team played at the weekend and the starting line ups had some degree of rotation in them from Head Coaches Curt Onalfo and Pablo Mastroeni.
Jack McBean scored in both halves to earn the Galaxy another road win. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
For the Rapids, Dillon Serna got his first start in MLS play in 2017 after an impressive second half showing against Portland at the weekend and Josh Gatt started on the left side of midfield.
Romaine Alessandrini started on the bench for the Galaxy but Gyasi Zardes, Ashley Cole and Captain Jelle Van Damme were all in the starting eleven for LA.
Colorado started the match brightly with Josh Gatt taking full advantage of a rare start and looking dangerous in the early stages of the match, willing to take on defenders one on one but failing to lift his head to find a pass at crucial moments.
Both Gatt and Dominique Badji had early chances but it was the Galaxy that took the early lead in the 5th minute when Rapids defender Axel Sjoberg took a very heavy touch off an average square pass from Kortne Ford and gifted possession to Jack McBean.
McBean couldn’t have asked to find himself on the ball in a better situation as he took possession just outside the Colorado box and after stepping up past Sjoberg, collected himself and fired past Tim Howard into the top left corner of the Rapid goal, giving LA an early 1-0 lead.
Colorado nearly equalized in the 17th minute after Dillon Serna collected a Dominique Badji pass at the top of the box and turned beautifully, spinning past the LA defense. Serna struck the ball hard with his left boot and the shot was heading for the top center of the Galaxy goal before Clement Diop rose to palm the shot away for a Rapid corner.
Josh Gatt was bright for the Rapids, excelling in taking on players with pace. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
The Galaxy were happy to allow the Rapids possession in their own half, only pressing when Colorado passed the midfield line and their compact shape frustrated the Rapids in the early stages of the match.
True to form, Colorado looked dangerous from set pieces, but struggled to create chances from open play in the first half.
The Rapids leveled the match in the 27th minute through homegrown player Dillon Serna. Josh Gatt latched onto the ball on the left wing and cut in towards goal, sucking the Galaxy center backs toward him before passing it off at the top of the box. The pass appeared to be intended for Dominique Badji who was waiting at the top of the box but the ball was behind him. Badji got a toe on the ball slowing it and the miscue worked out in Colorado’s favor as Dillon Serna cut in from the right wing to jump on the sloppy and fire it home to the bottom left corner of the Galaxy goal.
At halftime the score was knotted up at 1-1.
LA were the better side after the break keeping constant pressure on the Colorado and forcing the Rapids into a compact defensive shape, deep in their own half.
The Galaxy capitalized on their consistent pressure in the 63rd minute when Joao Pedro dribbled through the right side of the Rapid box and crossed low and hard from the touchline to find Jack McBean at the near post. McBean did well, with a Colorado defender draped all over him, to steer the cross on goal with a lovely right footed heal clip, and scoring past a befuddled Tim Howard.
Just minutes after the goal Pablo Mastroeni pushed all his chips to the center of the table by making all three of his allotted substitutions at once. Kevin Doyle, Dominique Badji and Mohammed Saeid all came off to make way for Caleb Calvert, Alan Gordon and Dillon Powers.
LA celebrate Jack McBean’s second goal which would turn out to be the game-winner. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
In the 70th minute LA were awarded a penalty kick when Kortne got caught leaning the wrong way and stuck out a foot to foul Bradford Jamieson.
Substitute Romain Alessandrini stepped up to take the kick for the Galaxy and chipped his shot to the center of the Rapid goal while Tim Howard guessed wrong, diving toward the right hand corner of the Rapid goal and LA went ahead 3-1.
Colorado had a golden opportunity to grab a goal back in the 78th minute when Marlon Hairston did well to pick out Alan Gordon at the far post to cap off a Rapid counter attack.
Gordon had time and space to get his head on the ball but the shot was too true, flying straight at keeper Diop who collected it easily, extinguishing the Colorado chance.
Colorado looked flat and uninspired in the final fifteen minutes of the match and LA did well to close out the match clinically for the 3-1 away win.
Minnesota United won their match earlier in the evening moving them ahead of Colorado and the result against LA means the Rapids are once again rooted to the foot of the Western Conference table.
The win for the Galaxy keeps them in the Western Conference playoff picture as their 22 points are good enough for fifth place in the West, though they are just two points clear of three teams sitting on 20 points.
