The Galaxy are back in first place of the Western Conference after a convincing 3-2 midweek win against the Colorado Rapids.
Riqui Puig seems to have fully recovered from a niggling groin injury and his performance against Colorado proves he’s learned how to be a better cog in Greg Vanney’s system. With other exciting reinforcements on the horizon, the Galaxy’s future looks bright.
The LA Galaxy returned to Dignity Health Sports Park four days after the 2-0 loss away to FC Dallas dressed in their newest kit. They scored three goals in the first half to secure a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, July 17th.
With this result, the Galaxy are alone at the top of the Western Conference, having played two more games than second place LAFC. They’ve maintained their undefeated streak at home and have won six of their last six appearances at DHSP, tracing back to a 2-1 victory against the Houston Dynamo on May 25th.
Julian Aude, Gaston Brugman, and Dejan Joveljic were all unavailable for the match against Colorado. Aude’s groin injury will sideline him until at least the start of Leagues Cup on July 31st.
Gaston Brugman has made progress on his recovery and looks likely to return before Aude. He’s been out of the team in recent weeks, partly to allow his injured knees to rest but mainly because he’s been in Uruguay working on getting his Green Card. It took some time but the team announced on Tuesday, July 16th that Brugman was awarded the Green Card and vacated an international roster slot on the Galaxy’s roster.
While this has massive implications for the Galaxy’s future, Greg Vanney first had to focus on the team’s present and fielded a lineup sans-striker against Colorado due to the continued absence of Dejan Joveljic.
Vanney Makes the Right Moves
With Joveljic still out with a hamstring injury, the front four from left to right was: Diego Fagundez, Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Pec, with Riqui Puig just behind. Backing them up was Mark Delgado and Edwin Cerillo, who helped hold down the fort in the deeper parts of the pitch so that the forwards could stay up front.
This greatly benefited Riqui Puig’s game, who spent most of the match getting into the attacking third, rather than deep in his own half. Instead of receiving the ball in deep positions that force him to take on and beat the opponent’s back seven, Puig was receiving the ball further up the pitch, in areas where his dribbling and passing ability can cause real damage.
Besides Joseph Paintsil playing as a false-nine and Riqui Puig sticking to the attacking zone, Greg Vanney made other changes which helped the Galaxy in their last game.
In Julian Aude’s absence Vanney called up Mauricio Cuevas for a rare and fully-deserved start. His goal and assist in recent performances off the bench made it an easy decision for Vanney to bring in the 21-year-old Los Angeles native.
However, it wasn’t an immediately perfect fit. To accommodate Cuevas, who’s most experienced playing on the right hand side, Miki Yamane swapped over to the left, playing alongside Jalen Neal rather than compatriot Maya Yoshida.
This switch helped Yamane prove that he’s not just a wing back, he’s a baller. Some fans might have even missed the switch as Yamane showed that he’s just as comfortable playing in the defensive phase, stretching the play out wide, dribbling and passing towards the center, or making defenders look silly and assisting in the final third from the left as he is from the right.
A Deep Squad is About to get Deeper
Greg Vanney and the LA Galaxy flexed their tactical flexibility by securing victory despite injuries to important players in each major field position. Vanney now counts on a deep list of quality options in attack, midfield, and defense.
This luxury is the result of a year’s worth of recruitment efforts from Will Kuntz and the rest of the front office. They have built a team that Vanney has molded to perform in the style that he prefers and are continuously working on improving it.
The past week has been sprinkled with news that seem to all-but confirm Marco Reus’s transfer to the LA Galaxy. Reports from Tom Bogert were echoed by Fabrizio Romano on July 17th, confirming that the deal between Marco Reus and the LA Galaxy is close to being done. The final details are yet to be sorted, with Romano adding that his “Here we go”, or confirmation that the deal has been signed, is expected soon.
Marco Reus will add another exciting layer to the LA Galaxy. Coming off of a season where he earned a place in the Champions League Final, Reus is still able to produce at a top-level and will no-doubt be another important tool in Vanney’s toolbox. The German’s introduction also allows Vanney to toy with new positions, such as variations of the striker-less 4-2-3-1 which just beat Colorado.
Tonight’s game against Portland Timbers offers the Galaxy an opportunity to set themselves up for three wins in a row against San Jose Earthquakes in their Leagues Cup opener. For now though, Vanney and the Galaxy must repeat Wednesday night’s performance (and pray for better decisions from the ref) and beat Portland without Dejan Joveljic, Gaston Brugman, or Julian Aude.
With the last win still so fresh in their memories there shouldn’t be any lack of confidence throughout the soon-to-be-improved squad when they kick off at home at 7:45 PM PST.
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