The LA Galaxy did not get the victory against Swedish first division side Hammarby, the club was left pleased by their exercise in their 2-1 defeat on Monday at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena.
Robbie Keane was the lone goal scorer for LA as the Galaxy ended the match with 10 men after Juninho was sent off in the 55th minute. Erik Israelsson and Linus Hallenius grabbed the goals for Hammarby.
Although the result wasn’t ideal, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena was pleased with his team’s effort in Stockholm.
“It was a good exercise for our team today. We’re three weeks into our preseason and match fitness is important to us,” said Arena. “We had a lot of players get some good minutes as we move forward. Obviously, our target date is March 6 [against the Chicago Fire].”
For 45 minutes, the Galaxy went toe-to-toe with the Swedish first division side as both clubs went into the break on level terms with a goal apiece.
However, the fitness of Hammarby, who are a full three weeks ahead of the Galaxy in their own preseason training, paid off in the second half as the Bajen took control and scored the winner just minutes into the second stanza.
“In the first half, we played decently but the quality just isn’t there yet,” said midfielder Stefan Ishizaki who was making a return to his hometown of Stockholm. “We could have created more chances if our passing was cleaner and obviously, we wanted to perform better, but Hammarby is a little bit further in their preseason.
“We shouldn’t be too upset with the result, but we can play a lot better.”
While inconsistent finishing can certainly be forgiven at this stage of the Galaxy’s preseason training, perhaps the only blight on the performance was Juninho’s sending off in the 55th minute. Although there was no question that the call was a just one, the Galaxy were left frustrated by the fact that the team did not have a chance to end the match with 11 players on the pitch.
“It absolutely killed the game, but it was definitely a sending off,” said Keane. “In respect I can understand his sending off, but in a friendly game, it’s beneficial for both teams [to play with 11 players] because it’s preseason training. … I respect his decision. It was the right decision.”
Added Arena, “I think in an exhibition game, we don’t need to be playing with 10 players for 30 minutes or so, but the referee does have a responsibility.”
The Galaxy will look to return to winning ways later this week when they face Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. While in Ireland, the Galaxy will hope to rebound with just two more preseason games standing between them and the start of the 2015 MLS regular season.
“We’re definitely a better team than [Hammarby]. A lot better to be honest with you, but we didn’t show it tonight,” Keane added. “They’re three weeks ahead of us in preseason so that showed a little bit.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
