THE Galaxy Had history last season, winning a record sixth MLS, without being destroyed in 21 games at the Dignity Health Sports Park and becoming the first team to reach four two -digit players in goals and assists.
Less than a month after the start of this season, the team made the story of a different guy by becoming the first MLS defending champion to lose his first four games. Which brings us to the match of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday with Herediano.
The dominant victory 4-1 of the Galaxy will not count in the MLS ranking, but it certainly counts everywhere else. And by reversing a defeat to a goal against Herediano last week at Costa Rica, Wednesday's result gave the Galaxy a 4-2 victory for a goal in the two-year-old playoffs, raising the team in the quarter-final of the most prestigious club competition of the Confederation for the first time in a decade. The Galaxy will face the Mexican club Tigres Uanl, the 2020 tournament champion, in a series of two games next month.
More importantly, victory has shown that galaxy can be ready to reverse the course. And it was midfielder Isaiah Parente and defender Harbor Miller, who spent most of last season to play for Ventura County FC, providing spark, combining three assists.
“No matter how we got this first victory, the first is always the most difficult,” said striker Christian Ramirez, who came out of the bench to score the last goal of the galaxy.
The galaxy’s departure this year was as dismal as last season was brilliant. Not only did they not manage to win a match, but they didn't even drive into one. They lost for lawn and natural grass. They lost at home and on the road. They lost in the United States, Canada and Costa Rica, marking once and have been excluded three times. Three defeats occurred in play MLS, equaling the longest sequence of the team's defeats in five seasons.
Coach Greg Vanney had no excuse for the abyssal start of his team, but there were explanations. Five starters, including midfielder Riqui Puig and winger Joseph Painstil, two of the best scorers from last year, were injured. Four others, including the most useful player of the MLS Cup, Gaston Brugman, and the striker Dejan Jveljc, who scored six goals in the playoffs, had to be exchanged to ensure that the team under the tight salary of the league.
Vanney cannot replace all this offense, but at Parente and Miller, he seems to have found two players who can help take over.
“Everyone has intensified. Everyone had the opportunity, “said Ramirez. “This is what a good team does when everyone called. The guys intervene.
Neither parent nor Miller played more than 15 minutes in the first two defeats, but the two started the last two games of the Galaxy and the difference had been dramatic, the team dominating in time of possession, shots and shots to the goal, showing signs that he is about to wake up from his sleep.
“Isaiah certainly intervened and gave us a certain stability,” said Vanney about Parente, who fulfilled the role of double pivot in the midfield. “This is a really important position for us in the way we want to play.”
As for Miller, already hyper-confidential at 17, Vanney said: “There is no situation in which he has the impression that he cannot accomplish something and he goes for that. He understands what we are trying to do. The rest for him is only execution in times, making good decisions, choosing the right pass. »»
“It becomes more confident, if possible,” said Vanney about the defender, who replaced the injured Miki Yamane. “But he certainly settles down.”
Julian Aude gave the galaxy his first advance of the season in the 30th minute, one time a sweet crossing and a relative bounce on the left post.
The assistance was the first of parenting with the galaxy and he obtained another before the end of the first half, Miguel Berry doubled the advance in the 38th minute after Parente installed him by playing a distant crossing of Tucker Lepley in the center of the box.
This gave the galaxy an advance of 2-1 in the aggregated goals in two games in playoffs and they did not stop there. Gabriel Pec, the only healthy designated player in the Galaxy, made 3-0 minutes after the intermission, this time of a Miller's assist. And with a frustrated herediano who puts pressure on an outside goal to return to the playoff series, Ramirez closed the scoring against the game in the 76th minute.
Herediano recovered a little pride eight minutes from the end of the regulation when José González went around Haxzel Quirós from the center of the box. But that hasn't changed anything other than the final score.
Originally from Santa Ana who grew up watching the Galaxy, Ramirez played for four MLS teams and one in Scotland before returning to southern California in a trade last month. Getting your first goal in a Galaxy uniform was a big one, he said.
“I took my jersey and I signed it by everyone, so it's something that I will cherish forever,” said Ramirez, 33. “I would never have thought of scoring for this club. Now that I am here to get the first, you might say that it is a dream come true.
The Galaxy also obtained a big match of the goalkeeper John McCarthy, who was leaving last season, winning his second MLS cup in three seasons. But Vanney went with Novak Micovic in the first three games this year and Micovic was beaten seven times a conference.
