The LA Galaxy can’t seem to stop obliterating their opponents this postseason.
Minnesota United were the latest victims of Greg Vanney’s death squad, suffering a 6-2 loss in last Sunday’s Western Conference semi final.
Riqui Puig started hot with the club’s quickest ever assist while centerbacks Maya Yoshida and Carlos Emiro Garcés put on a clinic in closing down space. Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Dejan Joveljic also made history as the first trio of teammates to score a brace each in the same MLS playoff game.
Greg Vanney will be thrilled with the way his team has gelled in recent weeks. Chemistry, or the understanding between players, is now clearly evident throughout the squad. Moments of frustration on the pitch have become less common as the year has gone on, replaced by more embraces and goal celebrations.
“This year the pieces work together. They’ve grown together, they fit together,” said Vanney after the game. The entire roster besides Garcés (who has fit right in since recovering from an ankle injury in the regular season) have been getting to know each other since at least February. In that time, they’ve identified and memorized the most effective ways to play together.
Vanney’s men have learned how to combine and methodically unravel their opponent’s defense, such as in this 30-pass sequence to earn a penalty in the 77th minute. They also understand how to time their runs and passes to play devastatingly effective route-one football, which they proved in Gabriel Pec’s record-breaking opener.
The LA Galaxy seem to have reached another gear in 2024.
It’s clear that Greg Vanney’s philosophy has finally reached a group with the skillset to execute the vision he’s been trying to materialize since re-joining the Galaxy in 2021. General Manager Will Kuntz and the recently expanded scouting team have done a stellar job of equipping their manager this season.
“It doesn’t happen overnight, but eventually we get there and this year we certainly seem to have gotten there,” reflected Vanney.
The treble-winning coach has once again proven that he builds teams which play a beautifully effective and dominant brand of football. This year he is even threatening to reach new levels. In just three postseason games, his LA Galaxy have scored a record-breaking 15 goals, just two shy of the record for most goals scored in a playoff run he set with Toronto FC in 2016, which took six games.
With Vanney and his Galaxy side seemingly only getting better with each game, this coming Saturday’s Western Conference Final can’t come soon enough. They won’t have to wait through 23 pointless days of inaction, but the visiting Seattle Sounders will hope to bring a different type of challenge.
The Sounders are coming in as the road warriors who upset the joint-top-ranked LAFC. Neither side played a particularly great game, but the Sounders managed to capitalize on the chances their rivals left begging.
Their win over LAFC was the first time the Sounders won a playoff game in regulation time this year. They overcame the Houston Dynamo in both shootouts after 0-0 and 1-1 draws in the opening round.
The LA Galaxy will be feeling confident after winning their last three playoff fixtures in much more convincing fashion. This confidence has manifested itself in the team’s newest motto: “two more.”
This group is just two wins away from winning an unprecedented sixth MLS Cup, exactly 10 years since their last title in 2014.
Back then, it was Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane leading the way. A decade on, a diminutive Spanish starlet and a God-fearing young man from Brazil are just the tip of the Galaxy’s impressive roster.
The LA Galaxy host the Seattle Sounders to decide the Western Conference Champion this Saturday, November 30th. If they preserve their undefeated streak at home, they’ll earn the chance to host one of the New York Red Bulls or Orlando City SC in the 2024 MLS Cup Final.
Two wins separate the Galaxy from a sixth cup and the unarguable right to claim that they are back.
PHOTO: LA GALAXY/X
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