The MLS Season ended bitterly for the LA Galaxy as a late goal from a former player handed them a 2-1 loss and cost them the top spot of Western Conference regular season table.
While their egos might be bruised after a controversial loss, the LA Galaxy must remember that they still have every opportunity of earning their objective if they can figure out how to put it all together at home and on the road in the playoffs.
While we don’t know what day yet, the MLS Playoffs start next weekend in a best-of-three series against the Colorado Rapids. The first match takes place at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, October 26.
The La Galaxy (and Joseph Paintsil in particular) might have woken up feeling hard done by after last night’s 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo on Decision Day 2024.
Houston, who already secured playoffs but were playing for a higher seeding, didn’t take long to show they had brought the playoff edge by committing four fouls within the game’s first 90 seconds.
They looked to threaten the Galaxy’s goal pretty soon after with Coco Carrasquilla in the 15th minute but Maya Yoshida’s experienced head cleared the shot off of the line.
The chance seemed to scare the jetlag out of their legs and LA seemed to control the rest of that half, creating some great chances, but were unable to change the scoreline.
Just as it seemed the first half would end scoreless, the Galaxy failed to clear a set piece, giving Houston’s Ezequiel Ponce a chance to poke home the opener in the 43rd minute.
The LA Galaxy continued the trend of remembering how to score after seeing Greg Vanney in the locker room and almost started the second half ready for another comeback.
In the 51st minute Joseph Paintsil found himself in tons of space in the box and produced a sensational finish into the top-right corner to momentarily bring the Galaxy level.
The comeback seemed on until VAR intervened and deemed that Maya Yoshida committed a foul early in the buildup, bringing Paintsil’s goal tally for the regular season back down to 11 and handing Houston back the lead.
The Galaxy’s play from then on didn’t suggest they had been deflated, but they definitely seemed frustrated for the rest of the match as they tried to secure at least a draw.
While they did find some great looks, Joseph Paintsil wasn’t able to find his scoring touch again and Dejan Joveljic also let chances go begging.
What eventually did it for the Galaxy was a penalty called for a foul on Riqui Puig in extra time. Gabriel Pec stepped up and kept his composure to score in the 96th minute, putting his side level in the match and on top of LAFC in the conference.
That is until extra additional time was added to compensate for the VAR review and Houston launched the game’s final attacks, leading to a rising header from 6-year Galaxy veteran Daniel Steres to restore Houston’s lead in the 101st minute of play.
The goal gave LAFC the conference leadership as both LA teams ended the season tied on 64 points but LAFC just had the better goal differential with a GD of 20 to the LA Galaxy’s 19.
This sees Greg Vanney’s side making their return to the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference and the third seed in the overall standings.
Although they did miss out on the top spot, the Galaxy are still in a great situation for the playoffs.
With only their local rivals LAFC above them in the table, they would host every opponent at Dignity Health Sports Park, where they ended the regular season undefeated, besides LAFC who play just up the road.
Earning the right to potentially host playoff matches doesn’t matter if the Galaxy don’t make it to those latter rounds in the first place. They’ll have to earn the right to play by securing results on the road.
Their first chance to do so will come in Colorado about two weeks from now, following the opening game of the best of three series between the Rapids and Galaxy at DHSP on October 26th. The regular season is officially behind us and the drama of the playoffs lie ahead.
Greg Vanney and the entire organization should be applauded for the work they’ve already done, but it’s time to forget what little they’ve achieved and focus on the only thing that matters from now until December 7th: winning.
PHOTO: Andre Bannis Photography
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