A big game for both teams at Dignity Health Sports Park, especially that rings true for the home team LA Galaxy, who will be on another hiatus as the other half of the league participates in the Leagues Cup. LA Galaxy needs momentum and points, so this is a big game heading into the mini-break.
FC Dallas comes in with some uncertainty surrounding it’s star man Petar Musa, who is rumored to be transferred to Liga MX. Musa is in the lineup and starting tonight, so good news for Dallas, bad news for Galaxy, he’s a real problem on the pitch. FC Dallas is strongly in the playoff mix so this is a team Galaxy are trying to catch in the standings.
Game starts out as one of those feeling out types. Where no one making a real threat and pushing, just playing possession and sticking to staying in the midfield and each owns back half. Nothing significant until the 35th minute, where Galaxy drew a foul just outside the Dallas box. Free kick coming up for Marco Reus.
Reus takes it and gets it over the wall and on target, only to be saved by the Dallas keeper Jonathan Sirois. A quick follow-up shot moments later gets kicked away by Sirois. The Galaxy are getting chances on goal, but most of them are being squandered.
In extra time, Musa gets a touch on the ball in the Galaxy box, but is properly smothered and defended to where he only gets a weak touch on the ball that JT Marcinkowski easily corals. The Galaxy making through the half and head into halftime squared at 0-0.
Galaxy need to start converting on their chances, they have had enough good looks in the first half to put away at least one. There hasn’t been much urgency from Dallas in the first half. Seemed like they were going through the motions.
LA starting the second half on the offensive. At the 60th minute of the game it’s much of the same as in the first half. Chances for LA, but not converting on them, while FC Dallas just absorbing the punches. The crowd erupts in the 67th when Kyogo Furuhashi enters the game and makes his Galaxy debut. This has been the biggest addition of the current transfer window for the Galaxy so far, lets see if Kyogo can make an impact in the game.
With ten minutes till the end of the game, it’s much of the same. Dallas defending well and Galaxy can’t seem to get that dangerous shot on goal. Their attack seem to be getting extinguished in the final third. At this point it would appear that Dallas is playing for the draw and it will be an alright result for them on the road in a game where they did very little offensively.
Last gasp effort by the Galaxy on the tip of the 90th minute. Reus starts a fastbreak and takes it all the way to the Dallas box and lays it off to Jo Paintsil who gets around one defender, but gets blocked by the other and it’s an LA corner.
After the corner, Reus has a back and forth with Paintsil who lays it across the box, but straight to the keepers arms. Had a couple guys in the box who could have tapped it in, had it been a little more direct. Play like this encapsulates the Galaxy tonight, so close, yet so far on their attempts.
At the end it’s a scoreless draw. A point for each team. Dallas will take it with more joy than the Galaxy will. Two points in the last two games for a team who is dropping in the standings and getting passed by other teams is not good territory to be in for the Galaxy.
It’s painfully obvious this team needs reinforcements to arrive FAST! They get another short break, you’d hope this team will look different once they get back after the Leagues Cup break. Jao Klauss should be making his way back in the next couple weeks, but the Galaxy need much more than Klauss at this point.
Player of the Match:
JT Marcinkowski kept the team in the game with five saves on the night. He’s been very good this season and here helps the team get a point.
Up Next:
The LA Galaxy will next be in action on the road against Houston Dynamo FC at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, August 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT (Apple TV).