LA Galaxy return to winning ways, defeating San Jose 2-1 in Cali Clasico

CARSON, CALIF. — The LA Galaxy finished the week with back-to-back wins following a 2-1 victory over rivals San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday night. The Gs started the day at the bottom of the Western Conference and MLS Supporters' Shield standings. Perhaps feeling the pressure to execute and get the victory at home, the squad put up one of their best games of the season.

Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney made just one change from the side that defeated the Seattle Sounders in U.S. Open Cup play on Wednesday night. Gini Vivi was left out of the starting lineup with Memo Rodriguez making his first start since the club's 3-2 loss to LAFC last month.

In the first half, the Galaxy created chances but failed to put them away – a theme throughout this entire season. However, the Quakes didn’t cause much trouble for goalkeeper Jonathan Bond as their back line held their own. Julian Aude focused on in-form MVP candidate Cristian Espinoza for most of the game while the other defenders locked in on limiting the dangerous Jeremy Ebobisse.

In the 60th minute of the game, Martin Caceres scored his first goal for the Galaxy through a header via corner kick delivery from Rodriguez. The first LA Galaxy goal for the Uruguayan and at the right time to reward the work of the team. LA continued to garner the ball and hold possession as the Earthquakes slowly crept back into the game. Jonathan Bond made a crucial save on a close-range shot from Jamiro Monteiro to keep the game level in the 66th minute.

Dejan Joveljić entered the match in the 89th minute and quickly reminded the crowd of his threat off the bench. His quick press on the Quakes' Jonathan Mensah forced a turnover, and he scored his first goal in Carson this season and second overall of the campaign, making him the club's top goal scorer with numerous teammates parked on one goal. 

LA was on course for their fourth clean sheet of the season but Ousseni Bouda brought one back for the Earthquakes with the last kick of the game, leaving a negative mark on what was almost a perfect bounce-back game from last week’s 3-1 loss to Colorado.

“I’m really proud of our guys. I thought for 90 minutes, it was a very professional performance. I thought it was our best, by far, best defending game of the season,” Vanney told reporters postgame. “I thought it was a great performance. So, I feel like we’re starting to find some rhythm and we’ll continue to try to build off of it. But there was a lot of good things to take away from this game, and some guys had some exceptional games as well.”

The Galaxy moved up to 13th place but is a mere three points from being tied for the last playoff spot in the conference. 

Let’s dig into the performers and moments that led to victory for LA. 

Dejan’s impact  

In my keys to the game, I highlighted the importance of Chicharito rounding into goal-scoring form. He propelled the squad up the table with his goals in the final stretch of 2022, but he's had a lack of impact in the final third to start 2023. Though he missed a couple of chances in the first half, he still contributed with his passes and movement off the ball.

The introduction of Joveljić late into the game was due to Vanney prioritizing keeping legs fresh for Wednesday's game in Columbus. His goal made the crowd of over 16,000 erupt and the celebration with his teammates felt like a much-needed moment for the club – the pure feeling of victory that has eluded this Galaxy side.

“He’s a hungry kid who scores goals. When you put him on the field, especially as a substitute role, he knows he only has a finite of time. And, today, it took one minute,” stated Vanney. “It starts really from he’s a competitor, he’s a winner. And when he stepped on that field, he knew his job was to help us defend that thing out, and he turned that into a goal. So, expectational.”

“He showed last year and this year his capacity to come on the field as a sub and impact the game is probably second to none. I know he doesn’t want to be that guy always and forever, but he has certainly carved out a niche for himself that is pretty special.”

He last scored in the club's opening match on the road in Dallas. Since then, it’s been a struggle for the Serbian international to find the back of the net and his minutes have declined with the integration of Chicharito after his recovery from injury. Back in his super-sub role, he revived that touch from the last campaign on Sunday night to score the game-winning goal.

“In this league, sometimes it's better to play last 25 [minutes] than play first 65 and get subbed,” noted Joveljić.” In the last 25 minutes games open up and you have more opportunities to score.”

Getting on the scoresheet is essential for Joveljić. He was called up by Serbia’s international team twice this calendar year- once in early January and in the FIFA window in March for Euro 2024 qualifiers.

With lots of games coming this month, the self-proclaimed “future of the Galaxy” needs to show his impact in the present for LA to climb up their hole in the standings.

Keeping the stars quiet

It was a real shame the Galaxy couldn’t keep San Jose off the board. The home side truly deserved to leave with their fourth clean sheet of the season, especially as it was Jonathan Bond’s first start since recovering from a shoulder injury in February. This was possibly the team's best defensive outing so far this season, as the Gs defended the transition well and didn't allow for many clear-cut chances. While there is still work to be done at defending set pieces, this was an overall step in the right direction for Vanney's men.

Espinoza and Ebobisse were kept from cementing their mark on the game. After a brace last week, the talk surrounding Espinoza put him among the best performers in MLS. To keep him in check, Vanney revealed postgame that he instructed Aude to be conservatively positioned instead of being tasked to contribute to the attack often like his other starts. San Jose’s Argentine recorded one shot, failed to complete a cross in nine attempts, and no chances created during the match.

“I felt like tonight, we were talking more, but we certainly dealt with situations better. And I think each guy individually in their one-v-one duels was better tonight as well," Vanney told reporters. Galaxy defenders limited Ebobisse to one shot and two touches in the penalty box.

"J stepped in a few times," Vanney said, referring to Jalen Neal, "and took some fouls around midfield, and, you know, that’s something … we want him just to be a little more physical in terms of presence. I thought he was there. I thought Martín [Cáceres] looked very, very sound and experienced. I think Lucas [Calegari] and Julián [Aude] continue to grow inside of the team. I thought Lucas was exceptional.”

Calegari was the top performer of the night on both sides of the ball. He led the team with three chances created, completed 64 out of 65 passes, and led the team with five tackles. His technical ability on the ball and good play as an inverted fullback at times helped the Galaxy escape San Jose's high press. The Brazilian commanded the right side of the pitch through his recovery runs and put immediate pressure on the San Jose players when in crossing positions. The Galaxy's investment in these two young fullbacks continues to look like a hit as the season progresses.