CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy were in a dire situation heading into their Sunday afternoon match against the Seattle Sounders at StubHub Center, but they earned a 3-0 victory and kept their playoff hopes alive. Earning a clean sheet against a team that had defeated them 5-0 just over a month ago was a huge feat for the Galaxy.
In their first home game under interim head coach Dominic Kinnear, the Galaxy looked to have increased communication and, in turn, defensive cohesion. Heading into the match, the Galaxy were tied for third in the league for goals scored, but they were also third worst in goals allowed.
The starting XI for the Galaxy had to be modified for Sunday’s match because midfielder Giovani Dos Santos was still unavailable due to injury and defender Jørgen Skjelvik had the flu. Daniel Steres and Dave Romney started in central defense, a pairing that saw the team through most of last season. Midfielder Emmanuel Boateng got his eighth start of the season and first since Aug. 18, when the Galaxy last played the Sounders.
Los Angeles opened the scoring in the 9th minute, when forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted a penalty kick. Forward Ola Kamara drew the foul that led to the penalty.
From there, Seattle looked dangerous but couldn’t put away any of their chances. The increased communication on defense was evident as they made runs to cover for each other and immediately discussed mistakes.
This communication also translated to the offensive half. Ola Kamara doubled the Galaxy’s lead in the 40th minute, with assists from Romain Alessandrini and Ibrahimovic. The Galaxy had about 10 minutes of pretty stable possession prior to the goal, so Kamara’s finish seemed to be just a matter of time. The goal underwent video review to determine if a player was offside, but it was deemed a valid goal and LA went into halftime up 2-0.
Boateng found the back of the net in the 52nd minute, with another assist from Alessandrini. Seattle defender Roman Torres attempted to clear it, but the ball had already crossed the line by the time he got to the position.
The Sounders had chance after chance in the second half, but did not convert any of their opportunities and the Galaxy won for the first time since July 29th against Orlando City.
With the result, the Galaxy move up to seventh place in the Western Conference standings, leapfrogging their next opponent, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Galaxy will host the Whitecaps on Saturday night at 10 ET.