ORLANDO, Fla. (May 24, 2019) – Four losses in a row and the LA Galaxy found a way to get a result. On the road. Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. David Bingham pitched a shutout and saved a PK. Jonathan dos Santos scored and gave up the PK. With all that, the Galaxy defeated Orlando City SC on Friday night 1-0.
Jonathan dos Santos Goal Gets LA Galaxy Gut-Check win at Orlando
The Galaxy got all the offense they needed in the 19th minute. After working the ball down the flank a cross was deflected to the middle of the pitch just outside the box. Captain Dos Santos ran onto the ball and shot first time, sending the ball outside the reach of goalkeeper Brian Rowe and into the net.
From there, Orlando controlled the ball for most of the game. The Galaxy stayed disciplined and compact to protect the lead, but did have some chances on the counter.
The best chance for the Lions came in the 32nd minute. The aforementioned Dos Santos committed a foul in the box that was called. Nani stepped up to take the PK, but didn’t get much pace on it. Goalkeeper David Bingham dove to his left and high enough off the ground to make the save. An Orlando player got to the ball but a Galaxy defender cleared it off the line.
Orlando could not find a tying goal and the match ended 1-0.
? NAH, NANI ?@BinghamDb with the huge penalty save! #ORLvLA pic.twitter.com/xQncj7SX2l
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) May 24, 2019
Three Takeaways:
Orlando is still a head-scratcher: Orlando City have been extremely inconsistent this season (and in their entire MLS history for that matter). They created plenty of chances in this game, especially after they went down a goal. But they haven’t been able to pair chance creation with goals and a solid defensive performance.
Galaxy offense still misses Zlatan: The Galaxy did enough to get a result in getting one goal, but this was still an unimpressive result. Orlando had more of the ball and more shots. Credit to the coaching staff for being pragmatic with a lead, but this playing style without Zlatan is unsustainable.
Bingham comes up big: David Bingham is having a good season all things considered. He came up huge on the PK and his defenders did well to keep the rebound out of the back of the net.
