The 2024 Galaxy seem incapable of recording clean sheets. They could offer Lionel Messi an all expenses paid vacation to the Ibiza whenever they play Miami. Flooding the Diggity with an inch of water worked against Seattle. Neither strategy seems practical or sustainable. As exciting as the offense can be, the 2024 Galaxy leak goals like a sieve, even to bottom-of-the-table San Jose.
MLS Cup winners, and especially Supporters Shield winners, rarely give up more than 1.35 goals per game. Miami and LA, the two teams that currently sit atop the Supporters Shield standings, give up 1.5 and 1.67 goals per game, respectively. Unlike other statistics, the Designated Player rule did not affect the importance of the GAA.
Offense depends as much on individual quality in key moments as it does on team chemistry. Defense reflects the grit, guile and commitment of the entire team. Offense wins fans, but defense wins trophies. The Galaxy clearly possess enough talent to score goals, but what must they do differently to prevent them?
Success in every sport it starts with the fundamentals, like defending against free kicks in a wall. Thirty years ago Gabriel Pec and Riqui Puig would have been excoriated by their teammates for turning their backs to Christian Espinoza’s service. After Maya Yoshida scored in the thirtieth minute to extend the lead to 3-0, some Galaxy players assumed the game to be over. In the thirty-second minute Pec and Puig formed a wall to defend a Christian Espinosa free kick.
In a bygone era, both players would be benched for what they did. It’s almost as if Espinoza intentionally struck the ball at the wall to see if they would flinch. They did more than flinch. They bailed out and gave the Earthquakes hope. In that moment, San Jose saw past the world-class talent to the fragility and naiveté underneath. The difference between the top and bottom of the table in MLS is razor-thin. From that point forward, the Quakes believed they could take something from the game. This picture says it all.
Notice the body language of the three most experienced Galaxy players on the field: Yoshida, Martin Caceres, and Gaston Brugman. They immediately realized how significant the goal would be. Championship teams don’t concede two minutes after they score and make a playground wall that provides perfect service into the box for the opponent. Yoshida throws up his head to the sky as if to say, “Really! I can’t believe you did that!” most likely accompanied by a few Japanese words unfit for sensitive ears.
By contrast, earlier in the game, San Jose set up a two-man wall to defend a Joseph Paintsil corner kick. The wall split apart as both players attempted to block different paths the free kick could take. Neither player shies away from the ball, and unfortunately for Quake midfielder Niko Tsakiris, the ball glances off his elbow. VAR picked it up, and Joseph Paintsil scored the penalty kick. Given the Galaxy penalty conversion rate this year, that call most likely decided the game.
Without VAR, the game would have ended in a 3-3 tie. While coaches may argue about jumping in different directions out of a wall, no one would say that either player shied away or bailed out of their responsibilities.
During the post-match presser, Galaxy coach Greg Vanney praised the substitutes for seeing out the game. One wonders why he waited until the final minutes to make the changes. Perhaps he wanted to give the starters time to sort things out, hoping they would learn from their mistakes. Whatever the reason, the Galaxy did not put the game to bed until Miguel Berry and Diego Fagundez replaced Dejan Jovelic and Pec.
At times, Sunday, it seemed like professional Earthquake men against extremely talented Galaxy boys. To win trophies this year, the boys need to grow up.