LA Galaxy win 3-1 over Seattle Sounders, advance in U.S. Open Cup

The LA Galaxy returned to the win column for the second time this season after taking down Seattle Sounders 3-1 FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday. LA got a much-needed win at home to advance in the cup competition, right before its Cali Clasico matchup, hosting a very in-form San Jose Earthquakes, on Sunday.  

Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney implemented a full complement of starters for this midweek game. Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made his first start since he sustained a shoulder injury on Mar. 10. Vanney reverted back to a 4-3-3 for this encounter, with Tyler Boyd and Gino Vivi as the pair playing out wide. For Vivi, this was his first career start after making a 10-minute cameo last weekend. By contrast, Seattle trotted out a B-team with most of their veteran players on the bench or not on the team sheet. Raul Ruidiaz, Nouhou, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan did not dress for the game.

With their largely first-choice lineup, the Galaxy looked the better team in the first half, and it didn’t take them long to break through, as Julian Aude’s strike from outside the box put the home side on top three minutes into the game.

Vanney’s side was in control for most of the second half against the rotated Sounders, and doubled their lead through substitute Memo Rodriguez in the 66th minute. The ball was bouncing in the box right as the midfielder struck the ball for his first-ever Galaxy goal. Just two minutes later, Seattle responded via Paul Rothrock’s header past Bond. In the 84th minute, Rodriguez scored his second of the game and put the notion of a Sounders comeback to bed, making him first Galaxy player to score a brace in the Open Cup since Sebastian Lletget scored twice against Seattle in the tournament quarterfinals back on July 20, 2016.

“I thought we looked a little bit more comfortable at times and I thought as the game progressed, we started to see a little bit of flair come back out of the group and a little bit of the tension that maybe comes with the results,” said Vanney postgame. “I thought that kind of came out and we started to loosen up and play a little bit freer as the game went on.”

Getting the Memo

It’s not been the best start for Rodriguez in Carson. He began his Galaxy tenure starting six of the first seven games of the season. In those appearances, he was played out wide instead of his natural center midfield position and made little impact on games from that position. His last appearance for the club was in their home match against LAFC and he hasn't played in the club’s last three matches.

He came off the bench in the 64th minute of this one and occupied the space out wide on the left flank. He made his impact quickly, scoring his first goal for the club just two minutes after coming on. A clever combination between Dejan Joveljić and Raheem Edwards led to Rodriguez getting the ball at his feet to complete a brace in just over 15 minutes of match action. 

He’s the only player on the team to score at least two goals this campaign in all competitions. (Eight different Galaxy players have just a single goal in league play to "lead" the team.) 

“I think it’s super important for me; it's been a long time coming,” said Rodriguez. “I struggled last season as well. So I think just getting that monkey off my back, those two goals, it almost felt like I scored my first goals in my career.

With his versatility to play multiple positions, he’s likely going to get minutes with five games in the next 17 days. With all of his appearances as a wide player for the Gs, Rodriguez still expects to perform at his best.  

“I play that position so much that you know I should be comfortable and help the team in any way possible," he noted. "And I think just trying to give Greg the confidence to put me out there, wherever he needs me and help the team win,” he stated. "It was important for me to get on the scoresheet, and hopefully there’s many more to come.

Back to one

After three straight games with two strikers up top, Vanney reverted back to a single-striker 4-3-3 formation. Joveljić was relegated to the bench as Chicharito got the start on the night.

“It's not really uncomfortable, but it's not their thing to drop into midfield, one of them and to be sort of that nine and a half, you know, they're both nines, they both want to be in the box and they want to score. So, I just felt like it didn't serve us enough purpose,” said Vanney about playing with two strikers in the previous game. “Even though we were looking at different ways to create more goal-danger inside of our group, given the group that we have, I felt it jammed the ball down the middle too much. I felt like we didn't use the widths enough. And I think that those things didn't work for us as well, both on the defending side and the attacking side.”

Vivi and Boyd added more width as the two stayed close to the touchline to allow more space in the middle of the field. That made a big difference for the spacing in the middle of the park and especially for Chicharito.

The Mexican striker struggled in the first half to build a consistent rhythm as he couldn’t get any consistent touches and passes off. When the ball would get at his feet, he took longer to control the ball and the attack would fizzle out as the Sounders got a hold of the ball quickly.

“[In the] first half, I thought it was a couple times where it looked like things were going to turn dangerous and he was tripped," noted Vanney about his star striker. "Guys got a poke in on it and things like that. Second half, I think he came out and really competed to hold up balls.

"I thought the second half he really was battling and helping us to get things going forward and was in some good sports to possibly see some finishes, things like that," he added. 

With three straight losses playing in a two-striker formation, expect Vanney to play with just one striker this weekend versus San Jose.

Some breathing room

Still, this was a much-needed victory for the Galaxy amid five losses in their last six MLS games. This match was the first in 2023 when the Galaxy scored three goals at any point this season and their first victory against the Sounders since the 2018 season.

“The emotion of scoring three goals, you know, I think that helps obviously," Vanney observed. "It loosens things up getting more guys involved in the game and some guys going. It helps those guys to feel like they're part of it. So, I think anytime you win, it helps the emotion. You want to play off of that momentum.”

The Galaxy did have moments of worry, with Seattle having some good chances and narrowing the lead to 2-1 shortly after Rodriguez's first goal. Not letting the comeback happen and closing out the game was crucial for a team looking to establish confidence that's gone wanting this season. 

“There's still a lot of work to do," Bond assessed after the match. "I knew that before the game and even if we won the game, I think it's important not to kind of over-celebrate, we have to keep concentrating,” 

"Just small moments [have] not gone our way," he added. "Whether that's bad luck or down to us wherever it is, I think we've been over emotional ... getting the first goal so early today was really, really important. It's really what we needed."

The Galaxy will learn its next Open Cup opponent at 11 a.m. PT on Thursday with the Round of 16 draw — very possibly an El Trafico rematch from 2022's memorable tilt.