The path to the Western Conference championship goes through Los Angeles, which means Saturday Traffic rivalry The game is much more than just a battle for bragging rights.
LAFC Hopes of gaining ground in the race for home advantage were dashed by the 4-2 defeat to Galaxy in Carson.
The game was a must-win for both teams, but even more so for the Galaxy, as LAFC still has two games in hand. A loss would have allowed LAFC to close the gap in the standings, move into first place in the standings and gain a priceless home advantage in the playoffs.
Now, the Galaxy (16-6-7, 55 points) sit comfortably atop the Western Conference standings and, better yet, have clinched a playoff spot thanks to an earlier loss to Austin FC.
For most of the first half, LAFC looked set to play spoiler, quickly taking a 2-0 lead. In the fourth minute, LAFC’s Mateusz Bogusz opened the scoring with a header.
Denis Bouanga added a strike of his own in the 15th minute, taking advantage of a Riqui Puig turnover, increasing LAFC’s lead.
“We got ourselves in a tough situation and our organization wasn’t good,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “We expected one thing and we saw another. … In the first half, Bouanga had a lot of open space and ran at Jalen (Neal), which was not a good play and we didn’t want to get ourselves in that situation.”
After a scoreless first half, the Galaxy came back in the second half with a sense of urgency, scoring two quick goals through Dejan Joveljic and Edwin Cerrillo.
“In the second half, we just came back with a lot more energy,” Cerrillo said. “‘Intent’ and ‘intensity’ were two words that Greg brought up, and we knew we were down 2-0, but anything is possible here at home.”
Joveljic opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, sending a shot over the outstretched arms of LAFC’s Hugo Lloris. Two minutes later, Cerrillo tied the score with a powerful strike from distance, his first in MLS.
“The first goal, which came relatively early in the second half, was huge because it gave us some energy,” Vanney said. “It was another piece of that belief that if we keep going like this, we’re going to get there. I’m proud of the guys because they took some hits in the face early on, but they responded.”
Joveljic added his second goal of the game, and 13th of the season, in the 67th minute, scoring after an assist from Puig. Puig then sealed LAFC’s fate with an 86th-minute goal, his 10th goal of the season and ending the Galaxy’s three-game losing streak to LAFC.
“We are footballers who want to play this kind of game,” Puig said. “I’ve been waiting for this day all week. … There are different games in your career, and you want to play them because it’s exciting and people watch those games.”
The road to first place has become much less stressful for the Galaxy, while the possibility of LAFC closing the gap in the standings and claiming the top spot has diminished.
LAFC (14-7-6, 48 points) had aimed to beat their cross-town rivals and reestablish themselves as MLS Cup favorites, but the loss leaves the team two games and seven points behind the first-place Galaxy.
The race for the Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the league’s winningest team, remains open for the Galaxy. They are four points behind Inter Miami with five games remaining in the regular season.
“I think this team can beat any team in MLS,” Puig said. “This year, we have the pieces that maybe we didn’t have two years ago. Beating LAFC is really important because we see the level we’re at, and this win was really important for us.”
Dignity Health Sports Park is key to the Galaxy’s success. They are the only team in the league with an unblemished home record, making home-field advantage in the playoffs even more valuable.
“At home, we’re undefeated,” Cerrillo said. “That’s very important for us. We know in the playoffs, anything can happen, especially in this league. We want to make sure we play our series here because our fans give us their energy.”
The victory significantly increases the Galaxy’s chances of winning their first Western Conference title since 2011.
“After last year, you don’t take anything for granted,” Vanney said. “It’s been a while since we felt like we were in the playoffs. So it’s good to have that behind us. It’s still early, but now we really have our eyes set on our destiny and trying to win the West.”
The Galaxy will face a tough stretch starting Wednesday in Portland. They will play four of their next five games against teams with winning records.
Meanwhile, LAFC will return home on Wednesday for their next game against Austin FC.