Here are three things we learned from the LA Galaxy’s 0-0 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps:
The depth is alright
With a majority of the starting line up unavailable due to injury, a draw is a respectable result for the Galaxy. Centrally, Servando Carrasco and Perry Kitchen combined well in front of the defense to successfully absorb pressure from the Vancouver Whitecaps offense. Head coach Sigi Schmid took pride in the rebuild he and his staff navigated in the off season, and now they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Tomas Hilliard-Arce’s first MLS minutes
Hilliard-Arce made his MLS debut in Vancouver against the Whitecaps, going the full 90 minutes for the LA Galaxy. The 2018 MLS SuperDraft pick out of Stanford was able to hold his own in the Galaxy’s three-man back line, filling in for the suspended Ashley Cole and injured Michael Ciani. He made a few minor mistakes, as would be expected, but was able to help his side earn a clean sheet on the road.
Offensive struggles
The LA Galaxy have only scored three goals out of their three games so far in the 2018 season, with goals from Ola Kamara, Romain Alessandrini and Jonathan Dos Santos. None of those players were available for the LA Galaxy for this match, making their lack of goals unsurprising. Signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic is obviously the staff’s response to the scoring woes, but one man (probably) can’t do it alone. If the LA Galaxy can get their starters healthy and on the field, and find a way to gel with the incoming Ibrahimovic, they will be a force to be reckoned with this year.