MINNEAPOLIS -- The LA Galaxy believe their swagger is returning after yet another impressive road victory.
Los Angeles extended their unbeaten run to four consecutive games and picked up their second win in a row on Sunday with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Minnesota United. Giovani dos Santos scored for the third match in a row, and a Christian Ramirez own goal put the Galaxy ahead for good to give the team their third win away from StubHub Center in 2017.
“This has probably got to be the best feeling we’ve had all year. This is a game where everyone played well tonight,” goalkeeper Brian Rowe said. “Everyone fought together. We have a long stretch of road games here, getting the first win in New York, stringing this one together, we’re definitely moving in the right direction. We’re scoring goals which is a huge thing.”
The Galaxy were forced to overcome numerous obstacles on Sunday, starting with a suspected broken leg suffered by Baggio Husidic in the opening 10 minutes of the match. LA persevered, however, eventually going ahead on Dos Santos’ brilliant goal midway through the first half.
Minnesota clawed their way back into the contest thanks to Christian Ramirez’s strike in the 66th minute. Although the Loons had all the momentum, the Galaxy found their go-ahead goal in the 84th minute when a wicked Romain Alessandrini free kick deflected off Ramirez’s thigh and into the goal for the winner.
“It’s all about mentality on the road. We knew they were going be tough to play against for us on the road, but these games are all about mentality and character. And we showed that,” defender Jelle Van Damme said. “At the end of the game we walk away with three points, and we grinded for 90 minutes. We’re fighting and battling for each other, and that’s what we need to do especially on the road.”
The Galaxy will need to continue that momentum next week when they travel to Northern California to take on the rival San Jose Earthquakes in the latest edition of the California Clásico. The match is the penultimate contest of a four-game road trip for the Galaxy which will conclude the following week away to D.C. United.
Although the task that lies ahead is a challenging one, Onalfo’s men are confident that they can overcome.
“We’ve become a bit hardened and the adversity we dealt with early on in the year has made us a better group. You find out what you’re all about when you go through those tough times and this group has shown enormous character,” Onalfo said. “Those are positive signs but we still aren’t where we want to be, and we know there is still a long way to go so we have to make sure that we enjoy this for a little bit, and then work really hard to get prepared for a tough San Jose game next week.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
