Weekend update: LAFC make history, Galaxy still have work to do

Well well well.

More than a few LAFC fans may soon be eating humble pie after Marc Dos Santos steered the Black and Gold to another impressive win, this time a 3-0 victory at the expense of Messi’s Inter Miami.

While there were legitimate concerns about appointing a continuity hire in Dos Santos, the former LAFC assistant coach has committed to evolving from from the one-dimensional counter-attacking of Dolo ball to controlling games with possession. Taking the shackles off young David Martinez and deploying him centrally has already paid off with two goals in two matches.

If anything the current squad is a throwback to Bob Bradley’s team which blended physical superiority with elite technical ability.

It may be early, but LAFC look scary again. Like, scary scary.

LAFC broke a MLS record for opening day attendance

photo courtesy LAFC

Btw the 75,673 LAFC drew at the Coliseum, good for the second highest attendance of all-time? Pretty darn impressive, for two reasons in particular.

-The vast majority of the crowd wore Black and Gold.

-Despite the club’s popularity, LAFC are still a relatively young franchise. (For comparison, the Galaxy fanbase spans multiple generations and enjoys international recognition from Beckham’s playing days)

How far does the team’s influence actually extend beyond the downtown LA area? While LAFC are indeed a big MLS club, can they someday make the transitional leap into a mainstream sports team in Los Angeles?

Effectively selling out the Coliseum is a sizeable step in that direction, thanks in big part to Son Heung-Min’s arrival.

Opening day tifo from Victoria Block

It was an “One step forward, one step back” outing from the LA Galaxy in their home opener, drawing NYCFC 1-1 before 25,025 at Dignity Health Sports Park. The welcome addition of Jakob Glesnes and a few tactical tweaks from Greg Vanney meant LA were rock solid defensively, limiting the Pigeons to a single shot on goal despite playing the final third of the match with ten men.

On the flip side LA offered little going forward after Joáo Klauss got on the board two minutes in, too often reliant on the individual brilliance of Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil to carve out chances before Emiro Garces received his marching orders for tripping Fernández Mercau inside the box.

“We have got to be able to get the ball to the attackers in the right ways and the right places for them to make their actions happen,” Vanney stressed during the postgame presser. “If the back guys are struggling to get them the ball the right way, it's going to be hard for the attackers too. That was disconnected tonight.”

For now, the Galaxy remain a work in progress.