LA Galaxy Youth Show Out In Leagues Cup Win vs Chivas | OneFootball

LA downed Guadalajara 2-0 in a friendly at Sofi Stadium. The talk before the game was all about Chicharito facing his former club but it would turn out to be about how good the Galaxy’s young core truly is. This game may mean nothing in the league standings but the morale is always high after a win. Hopefully, this is a huge boost that gets the team out of the hole.

The Galaxy would come out with a primarily first team lineup. Vanney put out a proper 4-4-2 which gave flexibility for changes as the night went on. Chicharito would captain the side against his boyhood club with Dejan Joveljic playing up top with him. The bench would include a mix of Galaxy 2 players and starting-caliber ones who got some much needed rest. These players would come on in the second half to manage the game.

Joveljic Strikes First!

The first half started off slow with each team trying to find its rhythm. The unfamiliarity with the new grass laid down yesterday may have had something to do with that. As fans were just starting to file in from both sides, Chivas would generate several good scoring chances early. However, the play of the half saw Dejan Joveljic score off a corner. Credit to Alvarez for the fantastic ball in setting up the volley from the Serbian.

Galaxy Youth Put On A Clinic

At halftime, Greg Vanney made 7 changes to the team. This included a rare usage of the 3-5-2 formation which in my opinion works very well for the Galaxy. You might’ve expected the quality to drop off a bit but it didn’t. Rather, it increased. The young Galaxy players had exuberating confidence in everything they did.

Adam Saldana bossed the Chivas midfielders and won several duels just from his intensity. Preston Judd had the perfect touches and had good shots that almost went in. Also, Jalen Neal wasn’t afraid of the red and black. He disturbed several shots and looked very calm.

Lastly, the man of the hour, Jonathan Perez! He excelled in his outside midfield position and took his opponents to school. His most impressive play was a GOLAZO from outside the box. More of Jonny Perez, Please!

The game would finish 2-0 leaving Chivas with major questions about their side. Great game even if it was only a friendly.

My Takeaways:

The Galaxy will travel to the midwest to take on Sporting Kansas City this weekend. The game will be on TUDN/Univision at 5:30 p.m. PT.