THE Galaxy Generally celebrate the fans' appreciation evening in their last home game of the regular season, although neither them nor their fans have had much to celebrate in recent years. This changed on Saturday, the Galaxy Beating Austin FC 2-1 before a closed shopping crowds of 26,574 to all, except to win their first title of the Western Conference in more than a decade.
After seven seasons of wandering in the desert, losing more matches than they have won and having only two brief appearances in the playoffs, the Galaxy is finally back.
“The team certainly seems to be back,” said coach Greg Vanney on the sounds of his players celebrating the corridor in the locker room. “We had a very consistent year. Coherence is always the measure.
“So there are a lot of reasons to be really excited by this team. Now we have to complete it, finish the season, then go after the playoffs. We have certainly made the foundations to give us the best possible chances.”
At the very least, they rewrite the book of franchise records.
The sale was the eighth of the Galaxy in 16 games at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, increasing the overall average attendance of the team to 26,135 this season; The only time the galaxy did better, it was 1996, their inaugural season, when they played pink Bowl.
Their 19 victories correspond to the total of the 2011 team in the modern era, while their 68 goals are a behind the 2014 team. The Galaxy won MLS Cups during these two seasons, but has not returned to the championship match since.
Saturday's victory, just the second in the Galaxy on the day of fans appreciation since 2013, could help end this drought because it guaranteed the team no less on the one hand of the first place in the conference table.
The victory flew over the goals of Gabriel Pec, his 15th at the top of the season in the first half, and Dejan Jveljic, who equaled PEC in his 15th at the end of the second half. And that left the Galaxy (19-7-7, 64 points) at the West Conference summit with a match to play, which means that a victory or a draw in their regular season final on October 19 in Houston would give them the title and the advantage of the field through the first three rounds of the eliminatory series.
If the galaxy loses, Laftc (17-8-7, 58 points), which has a match in hand, can catch them by winning their last two games. If this happens, the conference champion would be determined by a series of equality breaks, including the goal differential and the total goals marked; The galaxy has comfortable tracks in both categories.
Winning the conference and the right to play at home in the playoffs could be the key to the hopes of the Galaxy qualifiers, because their 13 victories and 42 points at home are also franchise records. The only team defeat of the team occurred to the Bowl pink; The galaxy has a 13-0-3 file at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“From the start of the year, our goal was to keep this place a fortress. And we did it,” said defender John Nelson, who goes to the playoffs for the third time. “Credit for fans that arise, making it a difficult environment.
“This team is very good at home.”
It was quite a reversal last season, when the Galaxy finished 13th in the conference table in 14 teams, their eight victories corresponding to the low franchise for a full season.
Pec opened the 31 -minute score in a ugly physical game, scoring his fourth goal in as many games. Riqui Puig installed the scoring with a long diagonal pass in Pec on the right wing. The Brazilian then dodged far from the defender of Austin Guilherme Biro, dribbling in the box and sent a left foot in the net on the other side.
Austin (10-14-9), which was eliminated from the claims of the playoff series with defeat, equaled PEC's goal at the start of the second half, with Sebastian Druissi at home a clever Osman Bukari flow from the center of the box.
Joveljic then scored the winner of the match in the 76th minute, making his way through traffic to mark on a left foot from the center of the box. Puig also obtained assistance to it, giving it 16. Landon Donovan was the last galaxy player to have more, recording 19 assists in 2014.
Puig was contributed to 11 goals (five goals, six assists) in its last 11 games.
Jon Gallagher of Austin thought he had equalized the match when he put a head in front of the Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy deeply in the second half, but Gallagher was offside, canceling the goal.
Referee Ted Unkel had a hard time keeping the game under control and Tempers finally boiled on the final sidelines of the game when a frustrated biro released Puig with a tallu of unnecessary slides in front of the galaxy bench. Biro was invaded by the teammates of Puig, leading to a lot of push and push before Unkel arrived to flash a red card to the defender of Austin, sending him.
“It was a vicious blow,” said Vanney. “Extremely dangerous.”
It took a few minutes to restore the command and once the ball returned to the game, Unkle whistled the final whistle.
“It was, for sure, a sensation in the playoff series,” said Nelson, one of the galaxy players who quickly joined the defense of Puig. “It was this advantage, this denigration. It was good for us to get there. “
After a week of leave for an international break, the Galaxy will go to Houston having won the seeded n ° 1 in the playoffs of the Western Conference, or with everything to play.
“Work is not done,” said Nelson. “This team is concentrated. The best thing we have done all year round is that we are not complacent. No one is comfortable.
“We have to go to Houston and get a result. We will be ready. “
