COMMERCE CITY, CO (June 21, 2017) – The Los Angeles Galaxy got another big (and surprising) road win on Wednesday nihgt. Behind a Jack McBean brace (his first goals of the MLS season), the Galaxy defeated the Colorado Rapids 3-1.
Rapids Manager Pablo Mastroeni started a typical lineup in a 4-4-2 formation. Tim Howard was in goal as Captain. Kortne Ford and Axel Sjoberg led the defense. Dillon Serna started in central midfield. Mohammed Saeid was on the wing with Dominique Badji and Kevin Doyle up top.
Galaxy Head Coach Curt Onalfo started a reserve lineup with injuries and two games this week. Clement Diop was in goal. Jelle Van Damme started in central defense with Dave Romney. Joao Pedro and Jaime Villarreal started as holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1. Jose Villarreal started as the No. 10 with Emmanuel Boateng on his wing. Jack McBean was the lone striker.
Jack McBean Brace Leads LA Galaxy To Another Road Win Over Rapids
The Galaxy made the most of their early chances. There was shouts for a PK in the first minute as Jo. Villarreal went down in the box after contact with Sjoberg. The Rapids controlled the ball for much of the first half, outshooting the visitors 12-6 (5-3 on goal). Josh Gatt and Badji made runs in behind getting shooting chances.
It was Jack McBean opening the scoring though. Sjoberg turned the ball over outside the box in the 5th minute. Jo. Villarreal tapped the ball to McBean, who ran onto it and blasted it past Howard off the inside the post. It was McBean’s first goal in league play in 2017. It was also the first goal scored by a forward for the Galaxy in MLS play other than Giovani dos Santos.
McBean led the attack the rest of the half with Jo. Villarreal doing an excellent job distributing the ball.
Colorado turned the pressure up after conceding. Serna and Doyle had open looks as the Rapids used their skill and speed on the wings to create scoring chances. Diop made several excellent saves. The Galaxy dam finally broke in the 37th minute. Gatt won the ball in the final third and ran straight for goal. He drew several defenders towards him, then laid the ball off to Serna. Serna shot first time, curling the ball past a flat-footed Diop.
The half ended 1-1 with Mike Da Fonte, Nathan, Smith, and Joao Pedro on yellow cards.
Both teams came out punching to start the second half. Jo. Villarreal and Serna led the way for both sides. The Galaxy gradually turned up the pressure, and it came to fruition in the 63rd minute. Joao Pedro made a run into the box and sent a square pass into traffic. McBean beat Howard and two defenders to it, deflecting it into the back of the net. The 22-year-old had his brace.
The game stretched out after that and Los Angeles won a PK in the 70th minute. Substitute Romain Alessandrini stepped up to take it. He wrong-footed Howard going to his left to make it 3-1 Galaxy.
Colorado appeared shell shocked after that. Gordon and Serna pushed to get back in the match but they could not cut the deficit. The match ended 3-1.
This is a huge result for Onalfo and the LA Galaxy. They are now unbeated in their last nine games (all competitions). They’ve also won four of their last five home games in league play, which is very rare in MLS. They did so with a reserve lineup. Alessandrini continues to play well. It was great for them to have Jo. Villarreal and McBean take advantage of the opportunity.
This was a tough loss for the Rapids. Their home winning streak is over and their comeback magic seemed to run out. Furthermore, the first two goals were preventable. Ford and Sjoberg could have made a better effort, and they are normally the most reliable defenders in the Starting XI. They ran out of gas when recently, they’ve gotten better late in home games. They now have a tough test at Atlanta United FC this weekend.
