Fans packed Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday night to welcome Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus. According to Corner of the Galaxy’s Josh Guessman, the front-office magic that acquired his P-1 visa in thirty-six hours won LA a 2-0 shutout victory and all three points.
Atlanta FC manager Rob Valentino studied the tape on the LA’s high-powered offense. The radio voice of the Galaxy Joe Tutino succinctly summarized how Atlanta stymied the Galaxy in the first half.
“Atlanta is clogging up that middle. The team has to do more work off the ball, so Riqui Puig can get the goal or at least create the assist. He’s had one signature slalom down the middle of the park where things opened up for the Galaxy, but that’s really been it. Riqui has been on the ball a lot, but there’s nowhere to go in the middle of the park.”
Atlanta executed the match plan to near perfection. Notice how every Atlanta defender stands or walks facing the play. If Puig passes they can anticipate and pressure the first touch of the player receiving the ball. Borrowing from Chivas in Leagues Cup they grabbed, pushed, shoved, and kicked whenever possible.
As Tutino put it, “The problem right now from my vantage point is the running off the ball, not running into the channels, or in between the lines to create that depth, to force Atlanta to move and defend, to step out and defend against the open player.“
A second look at the image reveals the kinds of runs Galaxy players might make, forcing defenders to move and make decisions. LA dominated seventy percent of the possession but rarely threatened Guzan’s goal in the first half.
Against Portland and San Jose, right back Miki Yamane pushed forward to create overloads. In both games, runs from deeper positions opened up simple tap-in goals. Against Atlanta, he pinched in rather than pushing up, perhaps concerned about Atlanta’s counterattack.
The Galaxy largely managed transitions against them by keeping the ball. However, what meager possession Atlanta did generate threatened the Galaxy goal. The offside flag prevented them from taking a two-goal lead into halftime. Frustrated by the well-organized defense, the Galaxy turnovers conceded several worrisome numbers-up counterattacks.
When Yamane did advance to create an overload in the thirty-first minute, Galaxy Designated players Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil combined to carve open the Atlanta defense. Guzan blocked the shot with his knee to keep the score at zeros.
In the sixty-first minute left back, John Nelson underlapped Joseph Paintsil’s inside-out run. The move seemed to stall, but it pulled Atlanta center-back Stian Gregersen slightly out of position.
With Paintsil still wide on the left, Galaxy winger Diego Fagundez positioned himself in a blind spot off the shoulder of Gergersen. When Edwin Cerrillo slotted the ball to Nelson in between the lines, Fagundez timed his run. Nelson’s pass put him alone against Guzan, who managed to shoulder away Fagundez’s chip attempt, one of the few coordinated team moves by the Galaxy in the first sixty minutes of play.
The Galaxy looked flat, rusty after the two-week break, and out of ideas. Enter Marco Reus.
Greg Vanney opted for aggressive offensive substitutions, withdrawing Fagundez in favor of center forward Miguel Berry. He replaced the more possession-minded Mark Delgado and Cerrillo with two more attack-minded midfielders, Marco Reus and Gaston Brugman.
After the changes the Galaxy lined up with DP wingers Pec and Paintsil on the flanks, center-forward Miguel Berry, and two number-ten attacking midfielders in Puig and Reus, leaving holding midfield duties to Brugman. Like upgrading from a functional midsized sedan to a luxury car, the Galaxy smoothly accelerated with Reus and Puig sharing the controls.
No two number tens could be more different. The dynamic Puig buzzed around the park with darting dribbles and deft touches. Reus strolled, jogged, and occasionally ran, relying on position, three-sixty vision, and elite technical skill. Puig accelerated the attack while Reus directed it.
The comfortable Atlanta defensive shape devolved into individual players trying desperately to cope with the Galaxy movement, repeatedly scrambling back toward their own goal. One and two-touch passes from Reus and dynamic movement and passing from Puig disorganized the team from Georgia. Puig seems to have found a player in Reus who truly understands his genius.
In the seventy-fifth minute with Reus occupying a defender, Pec finally found himself on the right flank with only one player to beat. His patented move toward the middle opened space for a pass to Reus just ahead of him. The ball just reached the German. Pec continued his run, but Reus paused as the defense backed off him.
Puig saw a space open up at the top of the box and sprinted toward it. Reus served the ball like a maitre de in an expensive French restaurant. The venom in Riqui’s shot nearly ripped the back of the net. Not only had the Galaxy scored, but they also demoralized Atlanta by the ease with which they did it.
No longer surrounded by multiple defensive markers, Pec initiated the move that led to the second goal. As the Pec beat his defender on the right touchline, Reus cruised into position on his left, leaving Pec without his preferred option, cutting back to the middle. The Brazilian used his less-preferred right foot to serve the ball to Reus positioned inside the penalty area. The German maestro did not hesitate, side-footing a bullet that Guzan parried. Unfortunately for the Atlanta netminder, the ball fell to Reus again. He did not miss the second attempt.
Until Saturday night, the Galaxy willed their way into first place. Fighting for points with a never-say-die belief in themselves. For the first time in 2024, they looked like a true contender for a trophy. In his post-match interview, Reus emphasized the importance of the team.
“It’s not about Riqui or about me. It’s about the team, how we defend together, how we play in the offense together.”
Many players talk that talk, but Reus orchestrated it on the field, speaking through his actions. His teammates feel it. The look on Puig’s face and the kiss Reus gave him after the victory indicates something different.
Reus knows how to connect himself to the players and connect them together in the process. Elite emotional intelligence like that rarely coexists with elite technical and tactical skills. Reus seems genuinely excited when his teammate succeeds, preferring as he says, “to give my teammates assists,” over any personal glory. Those assists go far beyond scoring goals to understanding what it takes to win. Signings like Olivier Giroud and Lionel Messi may come with better resumes, but Reus seems to have what the Galaxy need most, the ability to turn talent into a team.
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