The LA Galaxy put on one of their best performances of the year in a must-win game against C.F. Pachuca.
A 2-1 victory sees them through to the semifinals, where they’ll challenge an in-form Seattle Sounders for a spot in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
The LA Galaxy roared back to life against C.F. Pachuca following their recent 4-0 loss against the Seattle Sounders.
They rose to the occasion in a typically hard-fought match against the current best team in Liga MX, refusing to roll over when the going got tough, as has been so common this season.
The entire team played with a chip on their shoulder from the very first minute, leading to what was easily the best first half they’ve put together since the 2024 MLS Cup Final. Diego Fagundez led the charge, never hesitating to confront the Pachuca players whenever they messed with his teammates (which was often) and barking at his fellow Angelenos to get stuck in.
Fagundez’s energy spread like a plague across his team, resulting in brilliant performances from the entire roster.
Edwin Cerillo was all over the pitch, popping up and helping keep possession in the attacking third while also acting as a fifth centerback to neutralize Pachuca’s attacking threat.
Behind him, Zanka continued his solid form in the Leagues Cup. He has been much more reliable as of late, replacing his habit of making blunders with a tendency to make good defensive plays. While he didn’t produce a perfect performance, he did a more than suitable job in the absence of Maya Yoshida.
Marco Reus was back at his best against Pachuca. His passes often found the front three in dangerous spots, and it was his willingness to fight back against Pachuca’s rough defenders that inspired his teammates to keep their aggression burning hot.
His participation in a clever corner routine directly led to the own goal which opened the Galaxy’s scoring.
Still, he wouldn’t let the night end without getting his name on the scoresheet as he put away the eventual winner in typical classy style.
The entire front three also deserve their flowers as they each put in a tremendous effort both on and off the ball. Gabriel Pec was a workhorse on the right wing, getting back extremely well to support Cuevas and win the ball back when Pachuca looked to threaten on the wing.
Joseph Paintsil enjoyed another direct performance, consistently driving at Pachuca’s backline and forcing the issue, which led to the Galaxy’s second goal. Matheus Nascimento provided even further evidence of his football IQ, contributing extremely well to his team’s buildup and providing the game-winning assist to Marco Reus.
The field players were fantastic, but each of their performances was underscored by a stand-out night from Novak Micovic.
He has fully erased all of the doubt from shaky performances earlier in the season since reclaiming the starting spot from John McCarthy, who was just traded to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for a 2026 3rd-round draft pick (LA Galaxy will continue to pay a significant portion of McCarthy’s Salary).
Micovic showed off his reflexes with some top-quality saves and wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line to protect air space above the Galaxy’s net.
All in all, it was a resilient and efficient win for the LA Galaxy.
One (of many) common gripes for the Galaxy this year has been an inability to take advantage of their opportunities, resulting in them leaving countless points on the table. Their performance against Pachuca was a refreshing deviation from that norm. Not including the own goal, the Galaxy had just two shots on target throughout the match and did well to bury at least one of them to secure the win and their ticket to the semifinal. An efficient LA Galaxy is a winning LA Galaxy, especially when they can count on a stand-out performance from their keeper and fantastic aggression from their field players to get them over the line.
They’ll need to dig deep to replicate all of that on August 27th when they host the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup semifinal. The winner will secure themselves a spot in the final as well as the all-important Concacaf Champions Cup berth. Tensions are high for the Galaxy as they recently suffered an embarrassing loss at home against the Sounders.
Diego Fagundez said after the match:
“I want to take them again, and this time, hopefully, the results will be different.”
They will absolutely need to be if the Galaxy wants to squeeze any joy out of this challenging season.
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