LA Galaxy Vs Houston Dynamo: The winning 4-1-4-1 formation with a twist

The LA Galaxy handed the Houston Dynamo their first loss of the year by shifting to a 4-1-4-1 shape. But it comes with a crucial twist: the role of Jonathan dos Santos.

Los Angeles Galaxy opened the MLS season with a 4-3-3 system. They won the opener and four others with it. The only change was vs. FC Dallas, where the team used a 4-2-3-1. They lost.

So the Houston Dynamo naturally prepared for that formation on April 20, with their own brand of 4-3-3. But out of nowhere, the LA Galaxy pulled a 4-1-4-1 out of their playbook.

The last time they showed this line-up was against the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018. They won that match 3-0.

The Galaxy had studied the San Jose Earthquakes using the 4-1-4-1 against Houston the previous week. The Quakes got the formation to work just as it’s supposed to, possession-wise. They kept the ball over 60% of the time. But they didn’t have enough effective offensive personnel to create chances despite their domination of the ball and lost to Houston 2-1. However, there were enough positive signs from the Quakes’ showing for the Guillermo Barros Schelotto to break it out at home against the Dynamo a week later.

Galaxy’s 4-1-4-1 fit the bill for a 2-1 win. However, it wasn’t the center-forward who made the difference; it was the lone defensive midfielder, shielding the backline and supplying the attacking players.

That midfielder is Jonathan dos Santos. He assisted with the winning goal in the 88th minute. During the game, dos Santos made six tackles, four interceptions, completed four dribbles,  and drew the highest rating of any player from whoscored.com. He was also credited with three key passes and three crosses in the match.

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Dos Santos’ games has no specific weakness. He is a typical all-rounder. His greatest strength is passing an d holding onto the ball under pressure, but he is also known for his defensive contributions, interceptions and tackling.

So whenever the Galaxy has decided to pull out an outstanding possession formation like the 4-1-4-1, they must ensure that defensive midfielder dos Santos is on the pitch. He is the crux of the system.

Ideally, the position dos Santos holds in the Galaxy 4-1-4-1 formation goes to a purely holding midfielder. That means this defensive midfielder simply must protect his team’s back four. But dos Santos takes his role in this technical lineup into the next dimension. Not only does he provide the defensive, industrious work off the ball that the role requires, but he is also competent in possession and capable of knitting together combinations in the midfield.

So dos Santos gives LA Galaxy a formation more like 4-1.5-4-1. And that gives the team a terrible trick they can play on unsuspecting opponents throughout this MLS season, just as they did against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.