{"id":43267,"date":"2022-05-30T10:37:42","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T14:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=43267"},"modified":"2022-05-30T10:37:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T14:37:42","slug":"four-austin-galaxy-home-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2022\/05\/30\/four-austin-galaxy-home-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Four second-half goals awe Austin in Galaxy home win"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Galaxy head into the international break with two vital victories in a week after a 4-1 come-from-behind home thrashing of Austin FC<\/a>. <\/span>Two goals and two assists by the Serbian super-sub Dejan Jovelji\u0107 inspired the Galaxy home win and allowed them to keep pace with the rest of the Western Conference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Four second-half goals awe Austin in Galaxy home win<\/h2>\n

But it could\u2019ve been a different week altogether if Los Angeles hadn’t taken care of their upstart neighbors from down the freeway in the U.S. Open Cup 3-1 on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

It led to a Galaxy home win that is a complete turnaround from the previous two losses, and a game that shows real character and growth from the team. An impassioned Javier “Chicharito” Hern\u00e1ndez implored his teammates to wake up and start to put in these types of performances after the ugly Houston loss<\/a>, and they seemed to get the message. He mentioned there were various voices in the locker room that spoke up and all were receptive.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think apart from speaking, I think we listened. We listened. It\u2019s something that we all did after the Houston game. We felt embarrassed after that game, we felt that we let down ourselves, our teammates, our coaching staff, our fans, and our people,\u201d Chicharito shared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think that feeling, to say that you touched rock bottom, that’s what champions do sometimes. You don’t need to go to those extremes, but that happened to us. And I said after that game that if we didn\u2019t improve, and we didn\u2019t bounce back, we could enter into a very dark place. And thankfully we just bounced back, the good thing about this is a part of the results, apart from the outcome. It’s like you set the bar.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A new team in L.A.?<\/h2>\n

Thanks to the team\u2019s ability to absorb that message and the success midweek, an emotional boost was provided and L.A. entered the game with better intensity than in their previous two home defeats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No sooner had the game started than Kevin Cabral continued his mini-renaissance by earning a penalty in the first minute of play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Galaxy Captain Chicharito would step up to take a tame shot that Austin Goalkeeper Brad Stuver saved easily. The Galaxy would continue to threaten Stuver’s goal, however, and 30 minutes later, Chicharito almost made amends for his penalty miss by scoring what he thought was the game’s first goal on 36 minutes. No sooner had the confetti settled than VAR had canceled out a well-worked sequence because of an alleged handball by the goal scorer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like in numerous performances preceding it this year, the great chances created didn’t result in a first-half goal. In fact, L.A. would come out a bit flat to start the second half and coughed up a goal to Diego Fagundez on 52 minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It seemed like for all the chances and positive play, it wouldn’t be the Galaxy’s day yet again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jovelji\u0107 the super-sub<\/h2>\n

But if a week can change much, so can a well-timed substitution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter Jovelji\u0107. The Serbian has been making his case to be in the starting 11 all season, and this performance will be the loudest call yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His introduction in the 61st minute spurred two Galaxy goals in four minutes. Jovelji\u0107 turned on the tekkers for a stylish back-heel flick that an open Chicharito could not miss. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f CHICHARITO<\/p>\n

A dime from Dejan Joveljic sets up @CH14_<\/a>'s sixth goal of the season and we're tied at 1-1. #LAGalaxy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/egiveToTDm<\/a><\/p>\n

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 29, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n