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Acosta winner propels FC Dallas to road win vs. Galaxy

Photo by Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports

Curt Onalfo’s first game as LA Galaxy head coach saw his team fall to a mighty FC Dallas offense.

Kelyn Acosta’s goal in the 69th minute locked up three points for FC Dallas in the 2-1 win over the Galaxy at StubHub Center. The new-look Galaxy were missing a few key players on the day, and FC Dallas took scoring chances well to seal a season-opening win

The Galaxy pressured late, but their last great scoring chance went begging as Ariel Lassiter couldn’t get his head on a well-placed cross in the 90th minute.

FC Dallas wasted no time when the second half began, turning its incisive attacking in the first half into the first goal of the game via a 47th minute goal from Maximiliano Urruti.  The Galaxy equalized when Giovani dos Santos fired a penalty kick past Chris Seitz in the 53rd minute. Galaxy defender Dave Romney drew the penalty called against FC Dallas defender Hernan Grana as Dos Santos leveled the scoreline just six minutes after falling behind.

The transformed Galaxy lineup matched FC Dallas in several areas of the game. New Galaxy midfielder Romain Alessandrini struggled to make a great impact in the match from the right wing. Fellow new arrival Joao Pedro, however, showed flashes of his passing skill.

FC Dallas weathered a physical game to break into the final third quickly. The Galaxy enjoyed most of the possession, but the largely unchanged Dallas lineup showed no signs of slowing down from a successful 2016. New FCD striker Cristian Colman started and played 69 minutes in the match, although an errant touch in the first half prevented him from a golden chance to score.

Galaxy academy product Dave Romney replaced an injured Robbie Rogers, while Rafael Garcia replaced Ashley Cole at left back due to injury. Galaxy forward Jack McBean featured for the Galaxy as Gyasi Zardes continued to sit out recovering from foot surgery.

MAN OF THE MATCH

A couple clutch tackles and clearances made for a successful day for FC Dallas center back Walker Zimmerman. The Galaxy heaped pressure on FCD in stoppage time, but the Dallas defense stood strong.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

FC Dallas midfielder Kellyn Acosta’s 69th minute goal proved FC Dallas’ superiority. The Galaxy looked uncomfortable in possession for most of the game and Acosta’s goal proved too much for the Galaxy to overcome.

MATCH TO FORGET

Expectations will be high this season for Giovani dos Santos, but he didn’t quite measure up to them Saturday afternoon against a talented FC Dallas defense. Despite struggles in the run of play, dos Santos notched a goal from the penalty spot, but the Mexican star will need to do more this season.

Comments

  1. The Galaxy sucked! They have no offense. Jack McBean and Giovanni Dos Santos is that really the forward pairing the Galaxy are counting on to score goals? Jack McBean is not the answer up front. Yes he didn’t get service but he’s not the forward/striker they need. Dos Santos kept dropping back to the middle of the field because he wasn’t getting the ball. At one point in the second half Dos Santos dropped to the top of the penalty box to play defense. Where was the midfield and defense? The defense with the exception of Jelle Van Damme was terrible and slow, and to me always seemed like they were out of position. Llegett showed last year he’s a better player in the middle of the field where he can bring the ball forward an distribute it. But Curt Onalfo has Llegett playing on the right wing. I don’t know why the Galaxy didn’t bring in a top forward. What are they going to do when Dos Santos goes off to his national team? Is it going to be Lassiter and McBean up top? I’ve been a Galaxy fan since the start of MLS but this team is terrible. I don’t know if they’re going to make the playoffs let alone have a winning record this year. The Galaxy need to spend some money on a top forward and a good central defender to pair with Van Damme, and they need to bring in a good right back.

    To be fair to Dallas they played very well. They are a good team and thoroughly outplayed the Galaxy.

    Reply
    • Good analysis. Your concerns echo the ones I voiced before the season started. The one bright note from my standpoint was the Acosta goal. It was an excellent finish and he could grow into a good addition to the national team. As for the Galaxy, no one looked very good. I saw their exhibition loss to the Timbers about a week ago and in both games they showed the same kind of weaknesses. Also, regarding the coaching decisions, without Zardes and keeping Boateng on the bench, this team doesn’t have any speed in the attack. Bad personnel moves over the last few seasons or so have caught up with them.

      Reply
  2. Officiating was bad. The PK was not even a foul, much less a PK.

    Giovani was barely visible in this game.

    FCD are rusty but theyre so good that its hard to tell. Theyre without their two best chance creators and they still produce more chances than everyone else. Zimmerman is a stud…had an assist ball that Colman flubbed, then on the other end he stoned Dos Santos on a clear chance.

    Reply

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