Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

LA Galaxy Get Needed Win Against 10 Man Impact On Alessandrini Goal

Embed from Getty Images

CARSON, CA (April 7, 2017) – The LA Galaxy have finally won a home game. They defeated the Montreal Impact 2-0 on Friday night at the StubHub Center. Romain Alessandrini and Jermaine Jones scored the goals. A controversial red to Marco Donadel in the first half doomed the visitors.

LA Galaxy Get Needed Win Against 10 Man Impact On Alessandrini Goal

Head Coach Curt Onalfo got some big pieces back. Gyasi Zardes and Giovani dos Santos were able to start up top together for the first time this season. Ashley Cole started at right back alongside Jelle Van Damme. Clement Diop started in goal.

Impact Head Coach Mauro Biello was again without star Ignacio Piatti. Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla started on the left wing in a 4-2-3-1. Matteo Mancosu started up top with Dominic Oduro on the right flank. Lauren Ciman anchored the back line with Evan Bush in goal.

First Half:

The Galaxy came out clearly motivated to get a win. Ten minutes in Dos Santos found Emmanuel Boateng, who set up a shot for Jermaine Jones, but the shot was right at Bush. The Galaxy continued to push forward, carrying possession. Then in the 15th minute, Boateng set up Romain Alessandrini, who fired a shot past Bush. The midfielder struck the ball well, but Bush appeared to stumble just before the shot. Alessandrini remained dangerous throughout the half, nearly scoring on two other occasions.

The Impact looked to respond with chances of their own. In the 27th minute, Hassoun Camara struck a free kick well, but Diop was able to make a leaping save. Camara sustained an apparent head injury and was subbed out minutes later.

Mancosu almost scored in the 42nd minute. The forward won a long ball at midfield, ran into the box and got a shot off from close range. Diop was there again though.

The match took a turn right before half time, when Marco Donadel appeared to hit Jones with an elbow. He was given a straight red card, though replays showed the contact to be to the chest and not the face. The half ended 1-0.

Second Half:

The Galaxy remained dangerous early on in the second half. Alessandrini continued to create scoring chances from the run of play and on set pieces. The Frenchman took every set piece and corner for his team. The Galaxy continued to test Bush, but he was up to the task.

The game got chippy in the 64th minute. The ball was in the Impact defensive third, when Nathan Smith appears to give Tabla a shove off the ball. The midfielder went down, but got to his feet a minute later. Tabla later clipped Smith and was given a yellow card for it. The 10 man Impact pushed for a goal, with Mancosu and Tabla getting a few half chances.

LA nearly doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute. Van Damme got his head on a corner that Bush pushed out. The ball fell to Daniel Steres, who was able to get it on goal, but it went right to Bush who was able to collect.

The Galaxy put the nail in the coffin in the 74th minute. Zardes got the ball at midfield with speed. He found Jones with Montreal caught with numbers up field. Jones ran in on goal and fired it past Bush to make it 2-0. That was his first goal since joining the club.

Montreal’s last good chance came in the 84th minute, but they came up short. Tabla and Mancosu played the ball back and forth into the box. Mancosu’s last pass didn’t have enough on it, and Diop was able to get to it before Tabla could get a shot off.

Final Thoughts:

Montreal have every right to be upset with this result. Donadel’s red card seemed harsh. The Galaxy were the better team in performance through the first half, but the Impact would have had a chance to get a result in the second half. Regardless, the offense continues to be dependent on Mancosu with Piatti out. Biello’s side needs to get healthy and find a tertiary scoring option.

For the Galaxy, this has to be a huge sigh of the relief. Onalfo finally won a home game. Alessandrini continues his great run of form. It’s a good thing for them that Jones opened his account. The defense is still a bit shaky, but they got their first clean sheet of the year. This is a result they can build on.

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message