Written by Matt Whyte
CARSON, CA – With the pressure to keep their third place standings in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Galaxy answered the call with a 2-1 triumph over the Houston Dynamo Friday evening at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The Los Angeles Galaxy took control of the first half with a well-rounded game of short passes mixed with give and goes. The Galaxy has been playing with the strength and confidence of a team coming off from a strong winning streak, looking for their 5th straight. Early on, the Dynamo had a couple of solid opportunities, one within the opening minutes of the game, just barely being tipped over the crossbar by keeper David Bingham. After that, the Galaxy needed to slow the pace down and start to have the Dynamo chasing them.
Holding possession of the ball 51% of the time and an astounding 84% pass accuracy the Galaxy accomplished just that. Within the first 6 minutes of the match, both teams made attempts with nothing connected. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a close call just squeaking by the left upright. Both sides spread the field out with long crosses but nothing to come from those either.
The Houston Dynamo had four corners within the first half but was not able to connect on any of them. Alberth Elis from the Dynamo put in a lot of work going up the right wing. However, was unable to make anything happen due to the defensive wall the Galaxy had the entire first half.
The game changed once Ibrahimovic was pulled to the ground in the 18-yard box, which changed the game for the Galaxy putting them up 1-0 in the 31st minute. This gave LA the relaxation they needed going into halftime.
The second half was more about ball control for the Dynamo, as they tried to maintain possession and to create a lot of substantial opportunities primarily coming from Elis on that right side. In doing so, he was able to force Diego Polenta to foul him for a penalty kick that was so close to the edge of the box, it ha to be put up to replay. Elis connected on the PK, tying the game for the Dynamo. Then the pressure was on for both sides as they seemed to go punch for punch with opportunities, crosses and fast breaks alike.
It wasn’t until the 87th minute that the Galaxy was able to break the draw, converting on a fantastic cross from Emmanuel Boateng as he sent it in to Diego Polenta, who connected to put the Galaxy back in front. Polenta made up for the penalty on him that came at the beginning of the second half that initially set up the free kick that lost them the lead. His goal would be the game winner and capture a 5th straight set of three points for LA.
“I’m happy because after Houston tied the game, we fought for the win. We deserved to win.” said Galaxy Head Coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto. He later continued, “Everything we did on the field was to win, not for a tie, or to keep the ball.”
With this victory over the Dynamo, it moves the Galaxy to second place in the standings with 18 points. Only one fewer point than their inner-city rivals at LAFC, making for an eventful time out here in Los Angeles with the leaders of Western Conference being from the same city. The Galaxy’s next match will be on the road against Minnesota United on Wednesday, April 24th. Check back in to see if they increase their streak to six!
