Patient build-up, back-to-front, side-to-side, using both touchlines to spread the opponents out and using the defenders and some clever off-ball movement (Mark Delgado’s slip out of the midfield is timed to pull one of Vancouver’s midfielders out) to open up both passing and running lanes. A measured ball into the channel – sure, the defender misplays it, but good ball movement + great speed causes pressure, and pressure causes mistakes – for Kevin Cabral to run onto. A teed-up one-time finish for Samuel Grandsir.
The Galaxy won 5-2 on Saturday night, roasting Vancouver on a spit made of sequences like that one. These are the types of sequences LA have been putting together all year long, and this weekend the difference is that Grandsir (x2), Victor Vazquez and Efra Alvarez actually finished them off (Chicharito also potted a PK).
“Sam, over the course of his time here, he’s gotten himself in a lot of those types of positions, and, unfortunately a lack of execution sometimes, in some of those moments, but he’s been able to get in those positions,” head coach Greg Vanney said afterward. “Like the second goal when he’s able to curl things to the back post, [in the past] he just missed, or things like that. And tonight he found the back of the net.”
That’s the whole story for the Galaxy this season. They’ve played like a top 3 team in the conference, but haven’t finished plays off. If they start finishing plays off, they’ll make the playoffs. If they don’t, they won’t.
This was Vancouver’s worst game in months. Nothing but six-pointers coming up so they’re not out of it yet, but the Galaxy just killed them.
2. Emanuel Reynoso outdueled Hany Mukhtar late Sunday night in a duel of two of the league’s best No. 10s as Minnesota went down to Nashville and came away with all three points thanks to a 2-1 win.
Bebelo assisted on both Loons goals – the first a primary assist after Minnesota had turned Nashville over via the press, and the second a pass-before-the-pass job where he’d released the winger to cross low across the six.
Reynoso is just a genius at unlocking those kinds of chances for his teammates, and credit to Adrian Heath for getting the rest of that attack to understand that if they run, they win. As per Second Spectrum’s tracking data, Franco Fragapane and Bongi Hlongwane are both among the league leaders in off-ball attacking runs per 90, and if you’re playing with Reynoso, that is the exact way to go about your job.
Mukhtar is more direct – less of an orchestrator and more of a goalscorer, and true to his role, he got Nashville’s only goal.
As usual, though, that was it. Nashville created a ton of half-chances but don’t have the sort of attacking structure or talent to turn dynamic superiority into full, big chances. There are not many one-touch finishes in the box, which are the types of goals that Minnesota have ridden up to fourth in the West.
1. And finally, our Face of the Week goes to Brian Schmetzer: