{"id":38696,"date":"2021-11-08T19:54:57","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=38696"},"modified":"2021-11-08T19:54:57","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:54:57","slug":"decision-day-disaster-for-galaxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2021\/11\/08\/decision-day-disaster-for-galaxy\/","title":{"rendered":"Decision Day disaster for Galaxy a tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>CARSON, CA<\/strong> &#8211; All week, the Los Angeles Galaxy knew a simple fact. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Win against Minnesota United on decision day, and it would book a ticket to the playoffs. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It wouldn\u2019t matter what happened in games across the tightly packed Western Conference. This was where five teams were competing for three playoff spots. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy were masters of their own fate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so, in what has become something of a decision day tradition in Los Angeles, the Galaxy didn\u2019t secure the win against Minnesota and missed out on the playoffs on the last day of the season once again. (If you\u2019re keeping track at home, that\u2019s no playoffs in four out of five seasons).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Decision Day disaster for Galaxy is now a tradition<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A tradition dating back to 2012 and including some gut-wrenching decision day moments like the 3-2 loss at Houston. This was despite being up 2-0, the Galaxy added one more decision day heartbreak to the list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A decision day devastation that ends Los Angeles\u2019 season despite showing heart to come from two goals down to rescue a 3-3 tie at home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere&#8217;s going to be time to see in which part we didn&#8217;t do well enough. It&#8217;s obvious that we didn\u2019t deserve to be in the playoffs, that\u2019s why it didn\u2019t happen,\u201d Javier \u201cChicharito\u201d Hernandez said of failing to make the postseason.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney agreed but also thought of the missed moments throughout the season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou can go through the course of the season and think of the plays. That could have been the difference in the end, after 34 games and all the plays that you have over the course of 90 minutes for 34 games plus stoppage time and everything else you can think of all the moments where it could have been should have been. But at the end of it all, we didn&#8217;t. We didn&#8217;t do enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Down 2-0 early<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy didn\u2019t do themselves any favors early.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lod save the Queen.<\/p>\n<p>We&#39;re up 2-0 in LA. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JiBXVxhXvA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/JiBXVxhXvA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MNUFC\/status\/1457498990635732993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They found themselves behind to an Adrien Hunou goal after just 21 minutes; the defense being caught out of position after a lethal counterattack by Minnesota off a Galaxy corner kick. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robin Lod added a second for the Loons just 12 minutes later when Los Angeles failed to deal with a Minnesota corner and Lod popped up to stab the ball into the roof of the net.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way the Galaxy defense was being exposed spurred Vanney into his first substitution on the 38-minute mark as he brought on Niko Hamalainen for Oniel Fisher at left-back. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forced to come from behind again, where Galaxy has a 1-10-5 record and hasn\u2019t won since the opening day of the season, they finally came alive in first-half stoppage time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After some good work on the left flank by Kevin Cabral, Sebastian Lletget got on the end of a teasing Cabral cross at the back post to poke home his third goal of the season and bring Los Angeles back into the game 2-1 in first-half stoppage time. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">L.A.\u2019s goal unsettled Minnesota, who had difficulty adjusting to the sudden press and were lucky to escape the first 45 still ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Second-half scramble<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy came out for the second half with the same intensity they ended the first with and were rewarded with Chicharito tying the score 2-2 on the 50-minute mark.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the next 10 minutes, it was all L.A. on offense.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minnesota repelled wave after wave of Galaxy attack and incredibly went up 3-2 against the run of play on the 61-minute mark. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a sequence that is pretty indicative of L.A.\u2019s season, an own-goal by Julian Araujo after the defense failed to deal with a counter-attack, found the Galaxy behind again.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WE&#39;RE ALL TIED UP!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CH14_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CH14_<\/a> gets his 17th of the season and we&#39;re LEVEL with the Loons <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ylXwT9bmlQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ylXwT9bmlQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LAGalaxy\/status\/1457514194777960454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Loon lead was short-lived, as Araujo instantly made up for the own-goal by assisting Chicharito with a low cross to the middle of the box for the Galaxy player-of-the-year to score his second of the game and 17th of the season on the 75-minute mark.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now 3-3, the final 15 minutes of the game were frenetic.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minnesota had a chance to win it in the 89-minute mark from the penalty spot only for Franco Fragapane to hit the woodwork and for Galaxy fans to breathe a sigh of relief. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy had several good chances as well, namely Cabral&#8217;s shot saved by Tyler Miller from about six yards out in second-half stoppage time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Kansas City shuffle?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By this point, favorable news coming in around the league would see the Galaxy get into the playoffs if results were held. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And as the clock wound down in Los Angeles on a gutsy come-from-behind draw, the Galaxy was starting to believe they had done just enough to sneak into the postseason with the 3-3 draw.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, they hadn\u2019t and really hadn\u2019t all season.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A blown penalty call in Kansas City and a late Real Salt Lake goal would conspire to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2021\/11\/07\/mls-decision-day-rsl-squeak-into-playoffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">earn RSL all three points and the seventh and final spot in the playoffs.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In another decision day disappointment, the Galaxy would miss out again at the last when they had everything in their favor. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as Last Word Colleague and fellow Galaxy beat writer, Matt Pollard said in a tweet earlier this week, \u201cIt should not have come to this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&#39;ve got a 1-1 draw but RSL and LAFC not winning, so they&#39;re the 7th seed on my imaginary betting slip. <\/p>\n<p>Center backs need to do a number on Reynoso. If Chicha&#39;s not getting the chances, those who do need to finish (looking at you Cabral). <\/p>\n<p>It should not have come to this.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matt Pollard (@LWOSMattPollard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LWOSMattPollard\/status\/1456747465827307526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>The culprit<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Galaxy won eight of their first 12 games, and then just five of their next 22.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lagalaxy.com\/schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two-month, nine<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-game winless run in the business end of the season is the culprit for the Galaxy\u2019s postseason failure, despite what happened on decision day. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From challenging for a first-place early in the season to being on the precipice of the postseason on the last day to being knocked out at possibly the last moment, the decision day tradition and rebuild continues for the Galaxy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe dreamed. We set a goal, we couldn&#8217;t achieve it. It is a very important lesson, a very painful one. And yeah, we need to move forward,\u201d Chicharito confessed of the tie and season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The challenge will now be for Vanney to continue remaking this roster over the next two months. With high-profile players like DP Jona Dos Santos out of contract, it\u2019ll be interesting to see what the club will look like next season. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If all goes well, the Galaxy won\u2019t even have to worry about the decision day tradition next year.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Three Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Was it the last time Dos Santos played in a Galaxy Jersey:\u00a0<\/strong>With Galaxy Captain Jon Dos Santos out of contract but has professed a desire to retire in Los Angeles, what the Galaxy does with Dos Santos will be a cause for concern for the fanbase? The Galaxy midfield sure needs a retool and Dos Santos is on DP money.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Has Araujo gone too?: <\/strong>The right-back has impressed for most of the season and has been rumored to be on the radar of some big European clubs. Will he be in Los Angeles next season?<\/p>\n<p><strong>The defense:\u00a0<\/strong>Most Galaxy fans will tell you; this is L.A.&#8217;s Achilles heel. Vanney will be judged in large part with his approach to fixing the backline.<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit to LA Galaxy on November 7, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CARSON, CA &#8211; All week, the Los Angeles Galaxy knew a simple fact. Win against Minnesota United on decision day, and it would book a ticket to the playoffs. It wouldn\u2019t matter what happened in games across the tightly packed Western Conference. This was where five teams were competing for three playoff spots. The Galaxy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3969,"featured_media":38732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,67,119,18,19],"tags":[4594,307,4030,1345,2958,4207,4546,4599,3707,816],"class_list":["post-38696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-galaxy","category-minnesota-united","category-mls","category-rsl","category-skc","tag-adrien-hunou","tag-greg-vanney","tag-javier-chicharito-hernandez","tag-jonathan-dos-santos","tag-julian-araujo","tag-kevin-cabral","tag-niko-hamalainen","tag-oniel-fisher","tag-robin-lod","tag-sebastian-lletget"],"modified_by":"Raheem Bashir, Site Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3969"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}