El Trafficos aside, when the 2024 Galaxy lose, they face plant like a toddler learning to walk. They capitulated in Austin before they landed at the airport, folding under psychological pressure and oppressive weather conditions (Match Muse: Galaxy succumb 0-2 to brilliant psych-ops scheme in Austin). Austin roughed them up and ruffled their feathers. LA players complained, and argued, reacting from frustration rather than responding to the situation.
Chicago Fire coach Frank Klopas exposed the downside of a Riqui Puig-focused attack in a possession-based system by clogging the middle (Match Muse: Puig-ball and Vanney-ball clash and burn in Galaxy loss to Chicago). Frustrated by the lack of options Puig urged his teammates to move, improvising runs that compromised their defensive shape, 2-1 Fire. Coach Greg Vanney described it as movement without purpose. “We found ourselves always behind the game.”
Not prepared for the oppressive ninety-degree heat and sixty percent humidity in Dallas, the LA slogged to a 2-0 defeat. Corner of the Galaxy host Josh Guessman uttered what everyone thought, “You wonder why they even got on the plane to Dallas.” Out-dueled, outrun, out-thought, and out-numbered, Dallas arrived early and the Galaxy straggled behind, those patented moments of brilliance stowed securely inside their lockers back home.
On Tuesday, the Angelinos preserved their unbeaten record at Dignity Health Sports Park, prevailing in penalty kicks over an intensely motivated Chivas (Match-Muse: Galaxy survive suffocating pressure to knock Chivas out of leagues cup in penalty shootout). Winning Leagues Cup Group 2 earned LA the privilege of traveling to play second-place Seattle at Lumen “Sponge Bob” Field.
The bemused Vanney openly questioned the tournament format, “Someone’s going to have to explain to me how that works because last year we had a tough year and so now we have to pay for it again?” Those words foreshadowed another road debacle.
Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer set the stage with a psychological jab, “The Galaxy don’t like to play defense.” On cue, the Galaxy sleepwalked through the first seven minutes, waking up to a 0-2 deficit after conceding on two corner kicks for the first time in over a month. LA fans braced themselves for another white flag performance on the road.
Not this time. The Galaxy sprung to life, revved up the high-tempo passing game, and pinned the Sounders in their own defensive third, passing and moving on a carpet that plays like a futon. Seattle grabbed, fouled, kicked, and scrapped, just managing to keep the ball out of the net.
Despite steady improvement in team defense over the year, frustration from unsuccessful attacks still causes momentary defensive lapses. The Galaxy picked the worst possible moment to lose focus.
In the forty-fourth minute, Puig tried to dribble, losing the ball. The Sounders wasted no time transitioning toward the Galaxy goal. The Galaxy managed the attack ,clearing the ball to Joseph Paintsil, playing the number nine role in place of injured Dejan Jovelic. Seattle’s six-foot-six two-hundred-five-pound center-back Jackson Regan crushed the diminutive Ghanaian with a borderline red card challenge. The sides remained even after a VAR review.
Galaxy left-winger Gabriel Pec retaliated in the first minute of stoppage time, cleaning out the Regan’s center-back partner Yeimar with a powerful tackle. The play matched the intensity of Seattle’s aggression, a sign of increasing maturity from a young LA team.
Sometimes a young player making a mature play can lead to a lapse of concentration. Perhaps the Galaxy anticipated the halftime whistle. Pec found himself behind the play as a long throw from the left side reached Seattle attacker Alex Roldan. No other LA defender closed space quick enough to prevent the twenty-five-yard curler bulging the right side netting, 3-0 Sounders.
Adjustments at halftime from both teams evened out the game. Seattle defended with a compact structure, looking to attack quickly in transition. When the Galaxy recovered the ball they applied immediate pressure to hinder the vaunted LA transition game before it could start. With the midfield as crowded as a mall at Christmas, the game devolved into an end-to-end struggle, the Galaxy passed their way out of the back while the Sounders played long balls.
Still, the Galaxy persisted, passing, probing, moving, and attempting to run behind the Seattle defense. They finally broke through in the eighty-third minute with a signature pass from Puig to Pec right up the middle. Pec initiated a darting run directly in front of the goal. Puig’s pass sliced through five Sounders defenders, perfectly weighted for Pec’s delicate chip over the keeper.
Too little, too late, but the play left a calling card on the Lumen Field mat that the Angelinos can beat anybody on any given day. Seattle scored two goals before LA realized the game had started. After that, the Galaxy played them better than even. Lapses from the Galaxy contributed to all three Seattle goals. The Sounders did everything right defensively when the Galaxy scored, but the Galaxy finished it anyway.
Just as toddlers learn to walk by falling down, teams learn to win by losing. General Manager Will Kuntz and Vanney knew the revamped roster would take time to gel. With each disappointing loss, the Galaxy improved. They no longer fall easy prey to psychological tactics. Individual brilliance increasingly results in beautiful team goals. They show signs of matching the intensity of aggressive opponents. On Thursday the Galaxy woke up after only seven minutes, a massive improvement over Dallas, Chicago, and Austin.
Once a toddler learns to walk, running comes naturally. The world will learn, when the season resumes, in twelve short days whether the Galaxy need another fall before they can run. One challenge remains between LA and a legitimate chance at a trophy, the noisy neighbors up the 110 freeway.
Which addition to the roster will prevail, the aging Frenchman Oliver Giroud at BMO Field, or the German master Marco Reus at the Diggity?
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