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Galaxy hopes facing rival LAFC can revive its slow start

April 15, 2023

Jalen Neal has watched every El Trafico game.

On Sunday, he finally gets to play in one and it might just be one to save the Galaxy’s season.

By now, everyone in the league knows about the Galaxy’s struggles, winless (0-3-3) to start the season.

To borrow a line from America’s favorite soccer coach, Ted Lasso, the Galaxy remain a “work in Progmess.”

“No one would have had these expectations of us starting the way we’ve had this season,” Neal said. “I think we’ve shown glimpses of what we can truly do and a few of the games we’ve been good for the entirety of the game, but the results didn’t happen to go our way.

“We know what we’re capable of, we know our potential and any game now we can have that jump start.”

To quiet the “noise” or to shut out the noise as coach Greg Vanney put it Thursday, the Galaxy will have to find a way to slow down a high-flying LAFC attack led by Denis Bouanga.

“He likes to go inside a lot, he’s right-footed, playing on the left, he’s going … a lot of inverting runs off of the ball and he’s a creative player on the ball,” Neal said of Bouanga. “We know his strengths and weaknesses.”

In 10 MLS and CONCACAF Champions League games, Bouanga already has 11 goals. That’s translated into LAFC starting the season on a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) and advancing to the Champions League semifinals.

“They’re running a nice, confident wave,” Vanney said. “Coming off the end of last season, which gives every team confidence and then they’ve hit the ground running in terms of the start of this season, in terms of getting results both (CONCACAF) Champions League … they’re getting a lot of games under their belt, they’ve got a solid rotation, they’re healthy, which is key. And again, swagger, confidence and riding a guy or two that’s having lights out beginnings to the season, helps … it helps everybody.”

The Galaxy, however, lands on the opposite side of the fence.

Injuries have contributed to the slow start. And in last Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Houston, frustrations boiled over as Martin Caceres and Douglas Costa picked up red cards in separate incidents and will have to sit out Sunday’s game.

“They want to win, they want to win a game and so there’s that desire and I think natural stress you would have to want to come out and win,” Vanney said. “They know a game like this is a big opportunity to turn a season around in one day, one game and these games a lot of times come down to just competing … out-competing the opposition, winning your duels, finishing your opportunities when you get them. Obviously we’ve got to manage them and they have some difference makers who can, with one play, change the course of a game instantly.”

The Galaxy will likely have Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez back in the starting lineup. Hernandez made his season debut last week, coming on as a second-half sub.

“At the end of the day, he is our alpha player,” Vanney said of Chicharito. “When we miss him, we don’t just miss him on the field, we miss his personality in the group and so it’s really nice to have him back.

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“It’s brought another level of just … I don’t know if you want to say personality inside of our group, but there’s Javi no matter what we’re doing. If it’s a warmup and the fitness coaches are putting out a little game at the beginning, he’s analyzing and figuring out how to win that game and he’s competing at that. And then he gets everybody on his team in that game competing at that and it’s contagious.”

LAFC (4-0-2) at Galaxy (0-3-3)

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson

TV: Fox, Apple TV

Orange County Register

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Galaxy hopes facing rival LAFC can revive its slow start

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