LOS ANGELES — For the second consecutive U.S. Open Cup match, the Galaxy faced a team that sat its starters.
Some teams have that luxury, but for the Galaxy, a team that has struggled to find consistency, that wasn’t the case on Tuesday night in a Round of 16 game against rival LAFC.
The Galaxy sent out a near first-team lineup, even after a short turnaround from an East Coast trip and with only one day of training.
After a tense first half, the Galaxy found some breathing room thanks to early second-half goals from Tyler Boyd and Riqui Puig for a 2-0 victory.
The Galaxy will be on the road in the quarterfinals against either Colorado or Real Salt Lake on June 6 or 7.
“Grit and determination,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said when asked what he saw from his team. “We just came off of two games in six days in the East. We landed at 3 a.m. on Sunday. We had, not even a real training session yesterday (Monday) to prepare and it’s difficult to come into this stadium against any version of this team and play 90 minutes with determination and grit. I liked that and I think that’s the foundation of which things can get built off of.”
It was the second consecutive season that the Galaxy has eliminated LAFC in the U.S. Open Cup.
Boyd came on as a substitute to begin the second half and immediately made an impact, cutting in from the right and scoring from just inside the 18-yard box with a left-footed shot.
“I started on the bench today, but that I could come on and make an impact and help the team,” Boyd said. “It felt good to score again against this team.”
Boyd had a goal in the first meeting between the teams – a 3-2 LAFC win in an MLS match in April. His goal Tuesday lifted the lid on what had been a tense affair through the first 45 minutes.
“We fought hard and hopefully this will give us good momentum going onto the weekend,” Boyd said.
Boyd’s goal came in the 49th minute and three minutes later Puig doubled the lead with a scintillating run through the defense and a nifty finish. Confidence usually comes from success.
“I thought he was super-dynamic,” Vanney said Puig. “When he picks up the ball on the move and he starts carving through spaces, he’s the best in the league at that, there isn’t anyone even close in my opinion. The second goal is that. He picks up the ball at speed and he’s able to slide through guys and great finish in the end.
“He did that a number of times to get us out of situations across the field. He just creates a new situation every time he’s able to eliminate that first defender, he opens up a lot of possibilities.”
The Galaxy hasn’t had much success so far this season. Through its first 13 MLS games, the Galaxy has just two wins and is in last place in the league. Tuesday’s win is the club’s second in the U.S. Open Cup and leaves the squad three wins away from hoisting a trophy.
Heading into Saturday’s home match against Charlotte FC, the Galaxy is hopeful that this win is the spark that starts a turnaround.
“Tough away trip, to be honest,” Boyd said. “It shows our attitude as a group and now we just focus on the weekend. Super important game on the weekend and hopefully this gives us confidence going into that game.”
This Tyler Boyd finish. ????????????#USOC2023 #LAGalaxy https://t.co/MXiMZFOJ5F
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 24, 2023
Going to be rewatching this @RiquiPuig run and finish for a little, brb.#USOC2023 @LAGalaxy pic.twitter.com/fThq0wK8b4
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 24, 2023
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