CARSON, Calif. — The Los Angeles Galaxy fell 2-1 to the New England Revolution on Sunday night in front of an announced crowd of 20,828 fans at Dignity Health Sports Park on their sixth annual Pride Night.
Former Galaxy (9-6-1) head coach and general manager Bruce Arena coached his first match as head coach of the Revolution (4-8-4) in this match, giving him a win in his first game back on the sidelines.
The Galaxy’s Pride Night celebration is one of the longest running Pride Nights in professional sports with their sixth consecutive celebration. Both teams wore themed warm up kits before the game, and the corner flags and goal nets were rainbow colored to celebrate the occasion.
LA Galaxy head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s game plan took a hit very early into the match, as midfielder Sebastian Lletget left the game due to left hamstring injury in just the 10th minute. He was replaced by Chris Pontius, who has made six appearances so far for the Galaxy this season.
The Revolution had something to prove in this match as players are looking to maintain their starting spots under Arena while hoping to gain as many points in the standings after a dismal start to the season. They pressured the Galaxy frequently in the first half, forcing Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham to make several solid saves.
In the closing minutes of the first half, New England’s Cristian Penilla found the back of the net. He fired the ball from a tight angle and it slipped through Bingham’s fingers for the first score of the game.
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Despite the Galaxy’s efforts, including inserting Efrain Alvarez into the match at halftime to spark the attack, the Revolution continued to apply pressure early in the second half. New England capitalized once again on the Galaxy’s defensive miscommunications as Teal Bunbury notched a second goal to double the lead.
Then, in the 84th minute, Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic reignited the crowd with a spectacular bicycle kick goal. The score was his 11th in the 12 matches he’s played so far this season.
ZLATAN BIKES IT!!! 🚲 pic.twitter.com/60dMoXglVd
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 3, 2019
While the Galaxy continued to press, they were unable to close the gap and fell to New England. For the Revs, the win extended its unbeaten streak in MLS play to four game.
The next match for the Galaxy is Saturday, June 22, and it will be their first meeting against expansion side FC Cincinnati.