After another installment of the LA rivalry, the LA Galaxy came out victorious over LAFC, winning 2-0. However, despite the win, it is evident that Vanney needs to be replaced. The team currently occupies last place in Western Conference. While securing a ticket to the quarter-finals of the US Open Cup is a positive step forward, it does not make up for the horrendous start the Galaxy has had.
Leading up to the round of 16 match against LAFC, the Galaxy suffered consecutive defeats, losing 2-0 to the Columbus Crew and 3-0 against DC United. In both games, they failed to score a single goal. Throughout the season, the Galaxy has only scored a single goal when playing outside of Dignity Health Sports Park.
Since returning to the pitch, Javier Hernandez has scored one goal. Surprisingly, the leading scorer in the team is Dajan Joveljic. It’s noteworthy that the Galaxy excels in key passes and leads most of their games with possession and shots on goal. Given these statistics, one would expect the Galaxy to have a considerably higher goal tally. Instead, they have only scored 10 goals in 13 competitive matches so far.
Without the right conductor, even a masterpiece will not reach its full potential. The Galaxy team is designed to generate numerous goal-scoring opportunities as it has. However, the offense consistently struggles to maintain possession, resulting in frequent transitions of control.
It is during these transitions that the majority of goals against the Galaxy occur. Ultimately, Vanney has not taken significant steps to address the persistent issues with poor finishes and sloppy transitions, failing to instill a change in the team’s culture.
If Vanney coached in the Liga MX with these results, he’d be applying for unemployment after his 3-0 loss to DC United.
Summer Transfer Window
The summer transfer window is about to open. The Galaxy will not be allowed to sign international players because of an illegal payment to Cristian Pavon during his transfer. Last year during the summer, the Galaxy signed Puig and Bregman to improve their midfield. The team they have is the team they will need to get them out of the bottom of the Western Conference.
With stars like Puig, Bregman, Neal, and Chicharito, the Galaxy is more than capable of getting out of a season rut. The players have proven themselves on many occasions. During their match against LAFC, Puig scored a goal a la Messi. After taking control of the ball at midfield, Puig sprinted down the field and into the box, where he controlled the ball around 3 LAFC defenders to find the back of the net.
Impeccable play from Riqui Puig, but with the continuous management of Vanney, his skills will go wasted, and the Galaxy will fall short of their goal of reaching a sixth championship.
MLS will be a part of the inaugural tournament versus Liga MX. During the Leagues Cup, both leagues will pause their league tournament to play a World Cup-style tournament in the middle of the summer. If there’s a tournament, Vanney can win and keep his job in the Leagues Cup. Beating an LAFC team with a lot of young players is a small step, but his job should not solely rely on this victory.
It’s time for Vanney to say goodbye and for the Galaxy to listen to the supporters.
Photo: —
