Manchester United Dominate LA Galaxy in 7-0 Rout

Jul 23, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; (Editors note: caption correction) Manchester United midfielder Reece James (41) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy during the second half at Rose Bowl. Manchester United defeated Los Angeles Galaxy 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

A new era for Manchester United began on a warm Wednesday night in Pasadena, CA at the Rose Bowl, as the first game for the world-renowned club under the helm of Louis Van Gaal proved to be a resounding success. The LA Galaxy, currently residing in 4th place of the MLS Western Conference, had a chance to stun the storied English franchise, which is rich in history (and sponsorship money), but poor in form as of late with a seventh place finish in the Premier League and resulting sacking of manager David Moyes. Even Louis Van Gaal, the new Dutch commander of Manchester United, lamented his side’s perceived disadvantages in a press conference on Tuesday before training. Noting the limited few days he had to right the ship before the clash in Southern California, Van Gaal continued on about the lack of fitness and preparation among the players for the international friendly. It seemed as if he if went out of his way to explain why United could stumble in this purported trap game, which he deemed a commercial hindrance. In the end, however, although the Reds may not have been a lot of things, most of all ready for the bright lights of Southern California, they were decided victors in a one-sided affair.

For a breakdown of the scoring as it happened, click here to see MLS Multiplex’s live blog of the game.

Overall, the takeaways from this game for the LA Galaxy are few besides the need to erase this game from memory, with imprecise passes and an egregiously porous defense late in the game sinking the team. The LA Galaxy play against the Western Conference-leading Seattle Sounders on Monday simply must seek a renewed focus as there is no time to dwell on a match that got out of hand.

For Manchester United, the game was a mix of team veterans satisfying expectations and newcomers impressing  in a crucial bid to engender a positive first evaluation by their new boss. Wayne Rooney terrorized Brian Perk, the LA Galaxy keeper, with a beautiful curving penalty and a stroll at TV replay speed past the goal line later on after avoiding the diving goalie. In addition, Danny Welbeck started the scoring in the 13th minute and Ashley Young finished the score with two identical sequences in the last three minutes of regular time resulting in goals.

As for the notable newcomers, both Ander Herrera and Reece James left a significant mark on the game. Herrera, who signed with Manchester United in late June for a reported $50 million, was instrumental in at least five of the seven goals and controlled the midfield. Reece James is a newcomer to the senior team of United, but he’s been associated with club for a couple years. On Wednesday, James received the nod as a second-half substitute, in the first meaningful senior team appearance yet and he did not disappoint. With two late goals, James announced his intent to continue receiving playing time throughout the 2014 Manchester United Summer Tour and with Louis Van Gaal saying his newly installed philosophy is predicated on giving young players a chance, the 20 year-old seems poised to reap the rewards.

Louis Van Gaal speaks to the media after the 7-0 win over LA Galaxy

Finally, Van Gaal’s post-game comments also were of interest as he emphatically stated that results do matter and a 7-0 victory was much better than a loss. He commented that it was not just the result however, as the team also had “beautiful goals”, in terms of perfect execution of his new style of play, which added to the victory. Also important was his discussion of the 3-5-2 formation employed by Manchester United, which led to flashbacks of his enormous success with this particular system and the Netherlands national team at the recently completed 2014 World Cup. Although some longtime United fans might have been wondering whether the usual 3-4-3 formation had been permanently discarded, Van Gaal responded by saying that the 3-4-3 was always available as an alternative, but he preferred two strikers up front and the current personnel match that thinking.