Galaxy earned a 0-0 draw in Seattle with resolute defense. You read it correctly, the Galaxy played excellent defense. Seattle only forced John McCarthy to make two meaningful saves, one of which McCarthy imposed upon himself. The Gs handled every corner kick, maintained a compact shape, dominated in the air and managed transitions.
How far a back line can push forward depends on the pace of the slowest defender. Seattle plays a possession game to create transitions for Jordan Morris and Raul Ruidiaz. With center back Jalen Neal starting next to him for the first time this year, Maya Yoshida could establish a high defensive line and compress the midfield. Seattle struggled to connect passes let alone generate transitions.
The Galaxy play a high back line.
The high back line enables them to high press against the Sounders.
Adding Neal to the back line does not explain the defensive cohesion in the midfield. For the first time in 2024 the Galaxy could defend with all ten field players. Playing with Riqui Puig in the midfield means playing a man down on defense. Puig did a serviceable job marking Miami’s Sergio Busquets in the first game. Since then he occasionally dashes toward an opponent to apply pressure, but rarely disrupts the opposing offense.
In possession Puig likes to drop deep to get the ball, pushing his teammates forward to receive his passes. The defenders cannot rely on him to defend in front of them so they drop the line deeper. His creativity becomes a problem when he turns the ball over leaving the defense exposed and the wingers and midfielders out of position.
With ten players working together, the Galaxy proved against Seattle that they can play good team defense. They also consistently beat the Sounders press with crisp passing and movement out of the back, except when they played back to the keeper. McCarthy nearly gave the game away by passing directly to forward Raul Ruidiaz, who forced him into a full stretch save.
Galaxy played compact connected team defense.
Concerns over corner kick defense disappeared as the Galaxy successfully man marked some of the tallest and strongest aerial threats in the league. Without Puig on the field the Galaxy could match up without leaving one player unmarked.
Without Puig in the lineup, Galaxy man-mark on corner kicks.
The last minute loss of midfielder Mark Delgado and the absence of forward Dejan Jovelic left a noticeable hole in the attacking third. Diego Fagundez, Gabriel Pec and Jospeh Paintsil never coordinated a consistently credible attack. But for a blistering half volley that forced Stephan Frei into a reaction save, the Galaxy hardly threatened the Seattle goal.
At some point the Sounders should file for divorce from the Seahawks, move out of Lumen field and build a real soccer stadium. Sponge Bob would love that turf, but it sucks all the air out of a soccer ball. The field definitely contributed to the scoreless draw and perhaps longtime Seattle players suffer from slogging up and down on that pitch for too many seasons.
Galaxy manager Greg Vanney must conjure a way to defend with Piug on the field. Perhaps he can run behind the back line with his speed . That would force opposing defenders further back, deterring opposing midfielders from making too many late runs into the box.
He could then receive the ball in space underneath the defense. Both Pec and Paintsil are capable of beating most defenders in a fifty yard sprint opening up transition opportunities. He could also find spaces between the lines, when the opponent has the ball a la Lionel Messi, constantly forcing midfielders to track him. If his teammates find him quickly he can attack the defense in space with runners joining him.
Puig shows little appetite for defending, nor has he developed effective defensive skills for top flight soccer. On corner kicks the Galaxy opted for zonal marking with Puig on the field. They man marked Seattle without him.
Striking a balance between outscoring opponents and sound team defense may mean changing the role Puig plays. If he can become an immediate offensive threat on the break, opponents will sacrifice numbers in their own attack to contain him. Perhaps to protect a multi-goal lead Vanney want might pull Puig from the match at as early as the sixty minute mark.
Whatever the approach, Vanney must get buy-in from Puig. The Seattle game revealed that when all ten field players work together, the Galaxy can play excellent defense. When Puig plays close to his own goal, he disrupts the defensive organization. Perhaps if Puig plays farther forward the defense can organize behind him so he can can orchestrate attacks in the final third.
The Galaxy sit near the top of the Western conference because they can score goals in bunches when healthy. But without their key attackers available on a given night, they must also learn to limit opposition chances. Without Puig, Delgado and Jovelic they struggled to threaten Frei’s goal.
The congested May schedule will most likely force Vanney to dive down the depth chart to spell his starters. With the integration of defender Emiro Garces just underway, how he manages the tradeoff between unleashing the fearsome Galaxy attack and defending McCarthy’s goal will decide the difference between A-list entertainment and trophies.
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Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy | Full Match Highlights | May 5, 2024