On Saturday night, LAFC powered their way to a 6-2 victory over the LA Galaxy thanks to four goals from Diego Rossi. Here are three things we learned.
Goals rained down on Saturday night in Florida as Los Angeles FC defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in a thumping 6-2 victory. The rivals put on an offensive showcase that was ultimately dominated by LAFC. A tightly contested first half ended 2-2, but the match turned into a rout in the second half with LAFC scoring four unanswered goals in a blistering display of attacking brilliance.
Diego Rossi scored four of LAFC’s six goals, the most goals scored by a player in this rivalry in a single match performance to date, while Bradley Wright-Phillips notched the second LAFC goal of his career.
With their first victory in the MLS is Back Tournament in the books, LAFC enter the last matchday in second place, where they face leaders, the Portland Timbers. For the Galaxy, their hopes of advancing are all but gone.
Here are three things we learned.
3. Galaxy can’t match LAFC’s offensive power
Javier Hernandez’s absence in this match was always going to be problematic. Even though the Galaxy were able to stay in the match in the first half, and at times even looked like the better side, they were always going to have to match LAFC in the offensive department, and without their star Designated Player, that would be difficult.
Chicharito’s absence caused the Galaxy to rely heavily on Cristian Pavon and Sebastian Lletget for the goals. Both of these players are not natural strikers, which meant Pavon would have to go from provider to goalscorer. He did very well in the first half to take the reins and generate chances, but the chances began to dry up as time went on.
Ultimately, LAFC had more than just Diego Rossi to lead the charge. Yes, he scored four goals, but their offensive threat was varied, coming from multiple players throughout the team. The Galaxy meanwhile, had Pavon and Pavon only, and that was always going to be a major issue.