Los Angeles Football Club remains unstoppable as they continue to beat teams in their path. This time the Black and Gold beat rivals LA Galaxy with a score of 3-2 at the Dignity Health Sports Park.
Although Los Galaxy performs well every time they are against LAFC at home, it wasn’t their day on Sunday afternoon. The MLS 2022 champions fought hard to win at the place they don’t usually win.
“This is probably the worst football we played all season,” said defender Ryan Hollingshead, “We weren’t connecting passes. Guys were kind of all over the place. Tactically, we weren’t our best.”
Going into the game, LA Galaxy dominated the first 20 minutes. But Galaxy dominance wasn’t enough, as Gaston Brugman gave away the ball at midfield. That later led to a mishit header by Mark Delgado in the center of the penalty area, which saw the ball carom to a wide-open. Vela shot near the right edge of the box, and he finished cleanly for LAFC.
Right before halftime, LA Galaxy got the equalizer when Tyler Boyd lined a right-footed shot from 35 yards off the hands of LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy and under the crossbar.
In the second half, LAFC started to gain momentum and was the best team for 30 minutes. Sega Coulibaly came on after Chris Mavinga limped off with an injury and kicked Jose Cifuentes on the edge of the penalty box, drawing a penalty.
Vela stepped up and scored, giving him 12 goals in as many EL Traficos, the most scores by an MLS player against a single opponent since LAFC entered the MLS. Three minutes later, Hollingshead nodded home a Vela corner kick from the edge of the six-yard box to make it 3-1.
20 minutes before the final whistle, LA Galaxy started to respond well. A Rigui Puig shot hit the crossbar, and a miss chance from Javier Hernandez into the goal’s center should have tied the game. The home team could have had a third, but McCarthy tipped Lucas Calegari’s Shot from the top of the box over the crossbar early in stoppage time. Although Marco Delgado got a goal, it wasn’t enough for LA Galaxy to win the game.
For LAFC, the win was its first MLS away win. What helped LAFC more than ever was the atmosphere. Since there were more LAFC fans than Galaxy fans, the team felt more like home.
“Away trips, away games always is like a home game for us,” Vela said. “It’s not the first time. We appreciate the support, the love they show for us and that always is extra motivation.”
Meanwhile, LA Galaxy continues the MLS season without a win. So far, LA Galaxy is tied with Sporting Kansas City with three points. Also, LA Galaxy has conceded 12 goals and only scored five.
LAFC’s next game is when they travel to Nashville, Tennessee, and face Nashville SC. On the other hand, LA Galaxy will remain in Los Angeles and welcome Austin this Saturday.
