The LA Galaxy looked to make it back-to-back wins after a triumph against Atlanta, but FC Dallas halted those thoughts with a 1-0 win on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The Texas side got on the scoreboard first through Franco Jara, who got a faint touch on the ball to sneak it under the legs of Jonathan Bond.
The Galaxy couldn’t create any threats on the Dallas goal to get into the match until the latter stages of the first half. The second half saw the Galaxy get into the game and dictate what they wanted to do, but didn't get the end product to go with it. The loss put the Galaxy in 8th place, outside the Western Conference playoff spots. Here are some instant takeaways from the game.
1-9-1
That’s the record of the LA Galaxy when they concede the first goal of the match. They have only collected four points out of a possible 33 in those situations. There have been moments where the Galaxy surge into action and really start to attack the goal but those moments lack real quality finishes to all their possession. The Galaxy ended the second half with 71% possession and better chances than the first half of play. The Galaxy can't create comebacks, something championship-caliber teams can do when put in those situations.
"I thought the group was in a good spot mentally and physically and really proved that in the second half, but again, it's putting the ball in the back of the net," assessed LA Galaxy head coach Vanney postgame. The missed Dejan Joveljić penalty and three shots on target were the best chances the Galaxy had to bring the match to a tie in the second half.
"I feel like again, it's the final piece whether that's the execution and the relationship between the crosser we had a number of balls go across the face of the goal or that were cut back and we just weren't the first ones there to finish it," Vanney remarked on the team's chances. The goal is now to turn the positive possession and chance creation into goals that lead to comebacks.
Intensity Struggle
The Galaxy wants to establish a good intensity early and set their mark on the match, but playing in hot and humid weather isn’t the ideal combo to get that going. Eriq Zavaleta was caught off guard by Jara’s run that led to the opening goal for the home team, and Paxton Pomykal was able to get through the Galaxy midfield as if they were training cones.
It shouldn’t be that easy to get through the midfield. This clips sums ups the Galaxy’s first half, low intensity and Dallas taking advantage of it. #LAGalaxy pic.twitter.com/gSmNKcdbRP
— Alex Ruiz (@alxruiz15) July 31, 2022
“First off, we just defensively have to get situated. It's tough out here dealing with the weather and the temperature and humidity to be aggressive and really press and when we're trying to sit in our lower block, they've got players that are rotating at all different positions, forwards coming off the back line,” evaluated Vanney at half time during the Spectrum Sportsnet broadcast.
The Galaxy found their footing in the second half with Gaston Brugman and Kevin Cabral getting shots on goal in the first five minutes. Dallas would have its moments on target but saves from Jonathan Bond kept the Blue, White, and Gold into the game.
"We just had to go, we had to press, we had to recover the ball, we had to win our duels. And then when we wanted we could be a little bit more methodical. We were in the positions that we wanted to be to try to create opportunities and I think that's what ends up happening in the second half," said Vanney
Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond commented, "It was strange because they ended up having probably better chances and we did in the second half, but we kind of dominated it so yeah, it was a bit of a strange one."
The Galaxy was given a penalty in the 66th minute but Dallas keeper Maarten Paes got a hand on it to save Dejan Joveljić’s shot from the spot. The Galaxy continued to get possession and become comfortable passing in the opposition's half but couldn’t create anything concrete to challenge FC Dallas. The match ended with three shots on goal and an xG of 1.4 for the LA Galaxy.
A Hindered Back Line
Vanney kept the same back line that ground out a clean sheet against Atlanta United last Sunday. The center back duo of Derrick Williams and Eriq Zavaleta combined with Chase Gasper and Julian Araujo as the fullbacks.
Zavaleta couldn’t catch up to the running Jara and that run in behind led to the first goal of the match. He also got a yellow card in the 38th minute and was subbed out at halftime.
It was a similar story with Gasper, making his third consecutive start at left back. He got yellow carded in the 22nd minute and was the best player in the attack for the Galaxy in the first half. He was able to get forward and get crosses in but it wasn't enough. Like Zavaleta, Vanney took out Gasper at halftime. Araujo also had good moments going forward and advancing the ball for LA. He would also get a yellow card (see the theme) and eventually subbed out at the 76th minute.
The cards played a part in the Galaxy backline being on edge all game long. "We made the substitutions primarily because of the yellow cards if we're going to be aggressive and we're going to press and take that risk in the second half then it's very difficult to do that with two defenders who are on yellow cards," Vanney assessed postgame.
Jonathan Bond made six saves on the night and kept the score at 1-0. The defensive side of the Galaxy was lacking and the energy of Dallas kept them on edge, but the Galaxy defense kept the comeback or tie scenario alive. Vanney shared his gratitude.
"'The defenders had a lot of work to do just in the transition defending a lot of space to cover," he commented, "so ... as long as they were doing that and winning the duels then we were able to keep the game in the opposition's half of the field and it made it a little bit easier for everybody else."