For the second consecutive game, the Los Angeles Galaxy were outshot by a huge margin and were held without possession for long stretches. Both games ended with one-goal margins. On Saturday against Chelsea, the Galaxy lost 1-0, but Tuesday in the opening match of the SuperLiga tournament against Pachuca, they came away 2-1 victors.
The Galaxy were outshot 23-9 by the defending Mexican and CONCACAF champions and were forced to defend in numbers. It wasn't the prettiest result, but the bounces went in favor of the Galaxy and could signal a change in fortunes heading forward.
For Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop, it was a classic case of contrasting styles that led to the victory.
"We are more of a fast break team and I think it showed. They are more of a possession team that likes to really just grind you down and get their chances and try to score," said Yallop after the game. "It was a pretty interesting game, to be honest, between two teams that play a little bit of a different style."
Pachuca's style of play has led them to the 2007 Clausura championship, the 2006 Copa Sudamerica title and victory in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. They have beaten some very good teams along the way, and even though his side gave up their share of possession, Yallop was pleased with the overall defensive effort his team put in on the night.
"I thought we did a nice job of containing and making sure they didn't dissect us as much as they usually do against teams," said Yallop. "They like to spread the field and really open you up and I thought we did a good job of staying compact and tight. I'm real happy with our goalkeeping and defending. We limited their real clear-cut chances."
The Galaxy came out and got their first shot less than a minute into the game, but then the next 10 minutes belonged to the visitors. It was the exact opposite start the Galaxy were hoping to have, but the fact that they weathered the storm was another sign of a character change in Los Angeles.
"When you're playing against Mexican teams, coming on this soil, when they get a chance to play and you give them confidence and you don't go at them it's going to be a long day," said Kyle Martino.
Martino was subbed out with a slight groin injury at halftime, but was one of the binding forces that kept the Galaxy from breaking in the opening 45 minutes.
"I tried to lead a little bit by example in the first half. I think all together it wasn't as good of a first half as we had against Chelsea, but still a lot better than against Tigres," he said.
Another sign that the Galaxy have had an attitude adjustment in the last seven days was shown in the fight the team had on the field -- literally. On a couple of occasions some pushing and shoving broke out between whistles. According to Alan Gordon, who scored the first goal of the night for LA, it's a sign that things are changing heading forward.
"That's just part of what we've been talking about. Being chippy, fighting, battling the whole game and not giving any team an easy game against us," said Gordon, who picked up a yellow card for his participation in one of the scrums.
It was the second half performance that spelled the difference for Los Angeles on Tuesday. After being put under constant pressure the Galaxy managed to score against the run of play. When Pachuca finally broke the Galaxy defense, it looked as though they were on the cusp of breaking the game wide open, but L.A. responded with an almost immediate answer to regain the lead and then held on to preserve the win. It was a performance that the Galaxy wouldn't likely have had in them just seven days ago.
Next up for the Galaxy is Chivas de Guadalajara in a game that will possibly be the sternest test yet of the new attitude. The game will be played at the Los Angeles Coliseum in what is expected to be a crowd of nearly 80,000 Chivas fans, by far the most hostile environment the Galaxy will face all year long. A repeat performance could represent a real harbinger for things to come over the second half of the season.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
