CARSON, Calif. – It was Showtime down along Avalon Boulevard on Sunday afternoon, and the LA Galaxy aim to keep this production rolling through Dec. 7.
After dialing up their attacking tempo all year, the Galaxy goosed the throttle a few more notches in their Western Conference Semifinal duel with Minnesota United FC, rattling off a season-high six goals via a trio of braces from the attacking trident of Dejan Joveljić, Joseph Paintsil and the particularly irrepressible Gabriel Pec in a stylish 6-2 rout before 26,192 singing, towel-waving fans at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“It's nice to be at home because our crowd has been amazing,” head coach Greg Vanney said after a win that advances his side to a Conference Final faceoff with Seattle Sounders FC this Saturday (10 pm ET | MLS Season Pass). That match will take place at DHSP, and should LA advance, so will MLS Cup presented by Audi.
“The energy in the stadium has been amazing. Our guys like to put on a show, as you can see when they play.”
Joga bonito
The players themselves concur, paying extensive tribute to the inspiration provided to them by that vibrant crowd.
“I really believe playing at home makes it completely different. The fans were absolutely outstanding tonight,” said Pec in Portuguese. “I was really happy, it makes me feel super light. It's a party, and to be able to see all the fans singing from the beginning to the end gives everyone more of an advantage.”
Asked about his second strike, a jaw-dropping 70-yard solo dribble capped by a cool finish off the far post with his supposedly weaker right foot, the Brazilian winger readily admitted that he, like many Galaxy fans, will enjoy repeat viewing of the golazo.
“It did hurt when the [defender] kicked me. But when I looked at the scenario, and I saw that I just had to keep going a little bit further, and I would be able to keep dribbling and get towards the goal, I just got more and more confidence, like, I believed that could happen, and I got faster,” Pec said with a smile.
“I believe that was one of the most beautiful goals of my career, and I cannot wait to get home to watch it.”
Another level
Paintsil said his side had taken note of their crosstown rivals LAFC suffering an upset loss at the hands of Seattle the night before, which means the Galaxy are now the highest seed remaining in the postseason.
“There was a lot of energy in the game,” said central midfielder Edwin Cerrillo, pointing to the opener Pec scored 30 seconds after the opening kickoff, with Minnesota’s usually solid defense torn open by Riqui Puig’s delightful trivela through ball. “We score early, emotions are high, and they come right back at our neck.
“I think this whole year, we found joy being with each other. I think we play our best when we play just fluidly, not relaxed, but just more free, with everyone playing the roles inside that. Playing in front of our crowd, they just give us that energy, and when we're up and we hear the ‘olé’s, it's fun. It's fun being on the field.”
All-out attack
Questions about LA’s defensive fortitude have dogged Vanney dating back to last year, and conventional MLS wisdom tends to suggest deep playoff runs are built on tactical caution, stingy defending and risk management.
Rather than tack in a more conservative direction to shore up the back line, Vanney elected to lean into the high-octane identity that took shape upon Puig’s arrival and kicked into overdrive when Pec and Paintsil were acquired for combined transfer fees reportedly in the range of $20 million last winter.
That boldness is paying rich dividends.
“This year, the pieces work together. The pieces have grown together, and they fit together,” said Vanney. “The way we play is to be aggressive and to be bold and to take risks and to go for it. We're not a ‘hang out, sit back, be conservative’ [team]. That's not the way we do it. We go and we live with the consequences at the end of the day. We react when situations don't go well and we go for it when we do.”
LA: Back and dangerous
With a league-record 15 goals in their first three Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches, LA are delivering a blend of entertainment and excellence reminiscent of the run-and-gun Lakers teams that lit up Los Angeles and the NBA almost half a century ago, seizing the mantle of MLS Cup favorites in the process.
It’s been almost a decade since the Gs won the most recent of their MLS-leading five league championships; the 10th anniversary of their 2014 title run falls on the date of this year’s final. A club and fanbase long preoccupied with regaining those lofty heights – “The Race For Seis,” in Galaxy shorthand – now has a squad not just worthy of that conversation, but clearly inspired by the pursuit.
“This team is exciting to watch. It's fun to watch, it's getting results, and now is in a position to do something special, which is always what I think the standard is for the LA Galaxy,” said Vanney, a star defender during the club’s early years.
“You can't win a championship every year. It's just not feasible, I think, when you have 30 teams that are trying to win a championship. But to put yourself in contention and give yourself the best chance to do so is the expectation of the Galaxy and the Galaxy fanbase, and that's where we are at this point.
"And we have a lot of work to do still in the next game to even be there, but I think there's a lot of energy and excitement about the group we have and the direction that we're going, which is a statement that the Galaxy are back, and that's what people were looking for.”
