LA Galaxy Vs Vancouver Whitecaps: 3 things we learned – Zlatan leads playoff hunt

Zlatan Ibrahimovic took control in the LA Galaxy’s 3-0 victory over the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps. Here are three things we learned.

There’s no question the Western Conference race is coming down to the wire in October and it gained another storyline on Saturday night as the Los Angeles Galaxy cruised to a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

New interim manager Dominic Kinnear saw his club earn their second consecutive victory and close the gap on the top six places. Additionally, their win now separates the LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps by four points.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the star of the night for the home side as he reached 20 goals on the season with a brace.

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Romain Alessandrini’s second-half spot-kick was the result of Ibrahimovic earning the penalty. He was the clear MVP of the night.

David Bingham and the Galaxy picked up their second consecutive clean sheet. The California club have now outscored their opponents 6-0 in the last two weeks.

Here are three things we learned from the match.

3. This was a must win for the Galaxy

With only three matches remaining in the MLS regular season, this was a must-win match for the Galaxy. A loss here would have put them up against a tall order of likely having to take at least seven points from their last three in order to have a chance of reaching the postseason.

Now, they may have the chance of upsetting Sporting Kansas City next week and really controlling their own destiny in the final two matches of the campaign. Needless to say, next Saturday’s match in Kansas City will likely determine their playoff fate.

The Galaxy split with former coach Sigi Schmid in the hope of reinvigorating their season as it entered the closing stages. It seems as though it may have worked. They have a shot at the postseason, which is more than could be said just a couple of weeks ago.