MLS Preseason: Notes from Real Salt Lake vs Los Angeles Galaxy

The MLS preseason is officially underway as the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake met for their first preseason match of 2018. Here’s what stood out.

From the comforts of the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, RSL and the Los Angeles Galaxy faced off in their first match of the 2018 MLS preseason. The Galaxy deployed what is likely their first choice lineup to start off the match, while RSL was a bit more conservative and experimental.

While results have little importance in the preseason, there was still plenty of action and excitement for each team to build on ahead of the new season. Here is what stood out for both clubs.

Real Salt Lake

• Pressure! The RSL defense came out very aggressive, similar to how they finished the 2017 season. Newcomer Adam Henley and Demar Phillips found their way well up the field and as part of the attack from the first whistle, leaving the center back duo of Justen Glad and Danny Acosta alone in the defense. The second shift saw a similar approach, with Aaron Herrera and David Diosa causing havoc while looking more like wing players than defenders. Kyle Beckerman dropped back between them on a few counters while Brooks Lennon and Luke Mulholland occasionally found themselves tracking back. There were a few instances where the defense looked exposed but eventually was able to recover before too many dangerous chances were given up.
• RSL’s attacking style looks dangerous. Not necessarily a surprise for RSL fans following how the club rounded out last season, but even without key pieces Albert Rusnák and Jefferson Savarino, the RSL attack created multiple chances throughout the match with its impressive movement and quick passing. The second half saw Sebastian Saucedo, Sebastian Velasquez, Nick Besler, and Corey Baird really tear apart the Galaxy defense, which unsurprisingly resulted in three RSL goals, one each for Saucedo, Velasquez, and Besler.
• Set pieces. It’s never fun to give up a goal, let alone a set piece goal, but save the well-placed header off the set Lletget cross on a dead ball, the RSL defense looked strong. Danny Acosta proved his versatility once again, playing the first half as a center back. The defense held the impressive Galaxy attack at bay, and once that first Galaxy squad was pulled from the match Nick Rimando and Connor Sparrow were rarely called on.

Overall, RSL showed well in their first bit of action since last season. More importantly, the team was able to walk away without any serious injuries or question marks as the team looks toward their next match on Wednesday. Man of the match for this one is split between Sebastian Velasquez and Sebastian Saucedo, who both ran wild throughout the second half. They seemed to stand out the most in a match that saw over 20 RSL players take the field. Joao Plata also had a strong individual showing in the first half, a sentiment also held by head coach Mike Petke.

Los Angeles Galaxy

• Perry Kitchen is the real deal. The newcomer quickly looked acclimated to the squad and played a key role in linking the attack and the defense. Kitchen was able to command the middle behind the attack during his short 30-minute shift, something that was missing from the Galaxy last season. Kitchen and fellow newcomer, Ola Kamara, both made great first impressions in their first bit of action for the club.
• The first-team is promising. While the Galaxy found themselves on the wrong side of the 3-1 scoreline, the squad that played the first 30 minutes looked to be the best group on the day. The defense was relatively mistake-free (save a few fits caused by Joao Plata) while Romain Alessandrini was able to try Nick Rimando multiple times. Alessandrini would have had a goal if not for a goal-line save by Danny Acosta, and he and Ola Kamara already seem to work well together. Add in Sebastian Lletget who put in a solid shift through the middle of the match, and the potential ahead of next season will likely put away the disappointment from last year behind them quickly.
• Defensive depth still a concern. After an injury-riddled 2017 caused the Galaxy to rely on their roster depth that ultimately came up short, it is not promising that the second unit of defenders featuring Emrah Klimenta, Dave Romney, Michael Ciani, and Hugo Arellano did not show well against a mix of RSL’s second unit and Real Monarchs starters, giving up 2 goals.

Next: MLSM Podcast S2E1 - Recapping the MLS Offseason

Overall, the match was a good showing by the Galaxy. The team looked more energetic and engaged than the one who finished out the 2017 season. Man of the match for the Galaxy has to be Romain Alessandrini, who was involved with most of the Galaxy’s best chances.