CARSON, Calif – The LA Galaxy began their journey to a 4-3 come from behind victory while down 3-0 in the 61st minute, with their backs truly against the wall. LAFC were passing the ball back and forth in their own half, the opposing fans were chanting “ole,” and Servando Carrasco decided to do something about it.
“I could definitely hear them,” said Carrasco after the game. “It definitely gave me a second wind. I think it gave the entire team a second wind. We got pretty pissed off.”
The steps you take don’t always have to be big, they just have to take you in the right direction.
“We felt that we needed to pressure them a little bit higher,” Carrasco said. “I saw an opportunity to try and pick the ball. Fortunately, I was able to be in the right place and [Sebastian Lletget] made a great run and scored a good goal. I think this game comes down to moments.”
It was a moment of brilliance and choosing to act that turned around momentum after everything seemed to be working against the Galaxy. The club started the second half well, getting their first shot on target of the match right out of the blocks. An unlucky own goal by Daniel Steres made things look bleak, but the team dug deep and found the inspiration to start chipping away.
“Once their third goal went in we could have done [one of] two things,” said Lletget. “We could’ve gave up and put our heads down, but we actually kept going and kept calm.
“We knew our game plan was to get the first one. We weren’t focused on getting three right away because you can’t do that in soccer. You have to get one and then go from there. We just didn’t give up.”
Finding that second wind and picking their spots paid off, especially after Zlatan Ibrahimović came on in the 71st minute completely changing the nature of the game. The LAFC defenders who had been hound dogging OIa Kamara all day suddenly had a world-class striker to contend with as well.
Zlatan would get his goals, but not before Chris Pontius kept the comeback going with a diving header in the 73rd minute.
“I think [LAFC] put a lot of energy into that first half,” said Pontius, “and we were able to find some pockets just because they started to get some tired legs. Then when you sub on a guy like Zlatan they drop even more because they respect the guy, rightfully so. It was like a perfect storm, and we were able to finish our chances.”
