LOS ANGELES (Saturday, May 27, 2023) – Playing their fifth match across all competitions in the span of 14 days, the LA Galaxy fell 1-0 to Charlotte FC at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday night.
LA Galaxy Against Charlotte FC
Saturday’s home match at Dignity Health Sports Park marked the second all-time regular-season meeting between the Galaxy and Charlotte FC, with the series tied 1-1-0.
Galaxy Run Of Form
Following the match against Charlotte FC, the Galaxy hold a 3-3-0 record (7 GF, 8 GA) in six matches played across all competitions dating back to a 3-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the Round of 32 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 10. In their last four matches played in the Los Angeles area dating back to May 10, the Galaxy hold a 3-1-0 record (7 GF, 3 GA). In nine matches played across all competitions dating back to April 22, LA holds a 4-5-0 record (10 GF, 13 GA).
Packed Schedule
Saturday’s MLS Regular Season match against Charlotte FC marked the fifth match in the span of 14 days for the LA Galaxy, an average of a match played every 2.8 days. During the month of May, the LA Galaxy will have played eight games across all competitions in the span of 26 days, an average of a game played every 3.3 days.
Goal-Scoring Plays
CLT– Karol Swiderski (Justin Meram), 73rd minute – Justin Meram’s corner-kick delivery into the six-yard box fell to Karol Swiderski, who converted from close range.
Postgame Notes
- Saturday’s home match at Dignity Health Sports Park marked the second all-time regular-season meeting between the Galaxy and Charlotte FC, with the series tied 1-1-0.
- Following the match against Charlotte FC, the Galaxy hold a 3-3-0 record (7 GF, 8 GA) in six matches played across all competitions dating back to a 3-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the Round of 32 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 10.
- In their last four matches played in the Los Angeles area dating back to May 10, the Galaxy hold a 3-1-0 record (7 GF, 3 GA).
- In nine matches played across all competitions dating back to April 22, LA holds a 4-5-0 record (10 GF, 13 GA).
- In eight matches played at Dignity Health Sports Park across all competitions during the 2023 campaign, the Galaxy hold a record of 3-4-1 (12 GF, 12 GA).
- Mark Delgado recorded seven possessions won, six duels won, two interceptions and three tackles won.
- Tyler Boyd recorded a team-high three chances created in his 10th start in league play this season.
- Jalen Neal finished the match with 53 of 55 completed passes (96.4% pass accuracy), two clearances, four possessions won and one tackle won.
- Riqui Puig completed 56 of 65 passes, completed three dribbles, won seven duels and won four possessions.
- Javier “Chicharito” Hernández received his first red card with the Galaxy in 74 career regular-season appearances (65 starts).
- Saturday’s MLS Regular Season match against Charlotte FC marked the fifth match in the span of 14 days for the LA Galaxy, an average of a match played every 2.8 days.
- During the month of May, the LA Galaxy will have played eight games across all competitions in the span of 26 days, an average of a game played every 3.3 days.
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Next Game
Next up, the LA Galaxy continue their 2023 MLS Regular Season campaign by traveling to face Real Salt Lake at America First Field on Wednesday, May 31. The match on May 31 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcasted live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
2023 MLS Regular Season
LA Galaxy (2-9-3, 9pts) vs. Charlotte FC (6-6-3, 21pts)*
May 27, 2023 – Dignity Health Sports Park (Los Angeles)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
LA Galaxy 0 0 0
Charlotte FC 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
CLT: Swiderski (Meram), 73
Misconduct Summary:
LA: Chicharito (caution), 46
CLT: Afful (caution), 56
CLT: Vargas (caution), 79
LA: Chicharito (second caution, ejection), 85
Lineups:
LA: GK Jonathan Bond; D Calegari (Kelvin Leerdam, 90+2), D Jalen Neal, D Martín Cáceres, D Julián Aude (Raheem Edwards, 61), M Mark Delgado, M Gastón Brugman (Dejan Joveljić, 78), M Riqui Puig, M Tyler Boyd, M Memo Rodríguez (Daniel Aguirre, 62); F Javier “Chicharito” Hernández ©
Substitutes Not Used: GK Jonathan Klinsmann; D Chris Mavinga; M Efraín Álvarez, M Uri Rosell, M Gino Vivi
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Chicharito, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Chicharito, 2); FOULS: 10 (Four players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 3
CLT: GK Kristijan Kahlina; D Bill Tuiloma, D Nathan Byrne, D Harrison Afful (Jan Sobocinski, 82), D Adilson Malanda; M Ashley Westwood ©, M Brandt Bronica, M Derrick Jones, M Justin Meram; F Karol Swiderski (Patrick Agyemang, 90+2), F Kerwin Vargas (Brandon Cambridge, 80)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Pablo Sisniega; D Guzman Corujo, D Jaylin Lindsey, D Joseph Mora; M Chris Hegardt; F Nick Scardina
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Karol Swiderski, 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Karol Swiderski, 2); FOULS: 10 (Ashley Westwood, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 2
Referee: Drew Fischer
Assistant Referees: Kathryn Nesbitt, Ricardo Ocampo
Fourth Official: Matthew Thompson
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
Weather: Clear, 65 degrees
Attendance: 17,434
_All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
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LA GALAXY POSTGAME QUOTES
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH AND SPORTING DIRECTOR GREG VANNEY
On what happened after the game, when he and some players went to talk to Angel City Brigade:
“It was a cordial conversation, to be fair. They expect more. They want more from the group. But, it was kind of back and forth, just about, well… about the same things, this kind of a thing. Let’s just put it that way. We don’t need to go into specifics. Yes. We need to improve upon our performance today and secure the result. They want the same thing. It wasn’t anything… like I said, it wasn’t heated or anything that was more. Again, we’re all on the same team. We’re all trying to achieve those things.”
_On if he thought that there was any resolution from the postgame talk with the supporters:
_“Yeah. It was fine. I mean, at the end of the day, when you walk away from there, once again, it’s a reiteration of we’re all on the same team. We all want the same thing. When we walked away, they started chanting ‘L-A Galaxy,’ they started… right, things that I think are in a positive light. That are encouraging the group on, and not necessarily the other. When we came over initially, it was, ‘we want better,’ which is a plea for better. When we walked away after the few words that we shared, it was a different one. It was we’re behind you and this is what we can do, and this is what it is. So, that was, again, without detail, more of less of what it was.”
On his thoughts on the game and what did not go right for him:
“I mean, it was… inside of the game it comes down to missed opportunities. You can get into a lot of things inside a game that come into how much possession that you have, where you have possession, all that kind of stuff. We got a lot of really, what I felt like, were really clear looking chances. And, not taking those over the course of the game, keeps a team in. They have possession, they have their moments, they have things like that. But we had some breakouts, transitions, some moments where, you know, you’ve got to come away with some goals. And, in that situation, you’ve got to get yourself on top of the game and you got to take the lead. And, a team that maybe has been playing a lot of games, similar to us, with a lot of games and just travel, maybe they lose a little bit of that purpose inside of the game. If you can get behind a goal or two. So, that, I think, ultimately in the end, we can performance, and I can get into that because I can always talk about that at nauseum. But, at the end of the day, this game is about taking your chances when you have chances. And, we certainly had some. And we didn’t take them. Abd, we just didn’t take them well. At all. It wasn’t a matter of we didn’t take them. We just didn’t take them well at all.”
On Mark Delgado mentioning in the press conference the game is simple, and why the team struggles with playing simple:
“I was just talking to one of the players. I believe, my honest believe, and, I know this group, there’s an honest overplaying in the moment. Where we are rushing into attacks. We catch ourselves dribbling when the ball just needs to move fast. Too much individually we’re trying to make the play that’s going to change the game. Or change the season. And there just needs to be… the ball needs to flow faster. There’s windows of opportunities where we need to get the ball off our foot to the next guy. The next guy needs to play it. Give our time to the next guy. And pass time to the next guy. And then you create what I call a time edge, in possession, where you have the defending team always a little bit late, right? And now you can start to create attacks. And now you can start to control games. In possession. Things like that. And, I feel like we’re stealing time from each other all over the place. We’re taking too many touches. We are hesitating to play in between the lines to somebody for one reason or another, because we’re a little concerned about losing that ball in the situation. So the game is a little bit… it’s tight. And then I think there’s times when we try to hit the final pass. We try to hit the big moment. When, again, the game just needs to transition from side to side and we need to establish ourselves in possession and the other half. It’s a long game. 90 minutes is a long time. We need to… sometimes we need to establish what I believe is our strength. Some of that possession. That field position. The control of the game in the attacking half of the field. Force the opposition, especially teams that play in a back five, just force them to get nine and 10 guys behind the ball having to defend, so when they try to transition out, they’re just playing back out to you and you can sustain another attack. But, I feel we’re attacking so fast and we’re trying to hit that pass so early that we’re losing a lot of balls in between lines that come right back out, so then we end up in a defensive posture, or a loaded block, or something where we are then trying to work, we are working hard to get the ball back. And not making the opposition work hard to get the ball, because we are just trying to go to goal so fast. And I know inside there’s some of that that creates chances, but there’s a balance always in the game between attacking fast and transition, and then recognizing that this isn’t the moment and establishing yourself in possession. And, I think we are attacking fast a lot. Losing balls between lines a lot. Or, things don’t come off, and we’re a little stretched out when those moments happen, so we’re not in position to counter press, as you would say, to control field position or recover the ball back, and we have to end up back into a defensive posture and we have to work hard to recover the ball. If that cycle sort of plays itself out, if that makes sense. And, I feel like we’re, this is what we talked about after the game, is, and I truly believe this, in the circumstances, which includes our results and it also includes noise, moods, whatever it is, you start to, I think with genuine honesty, the players try to get themselves out of it, and sometimes you overplay situations that then start to take the identity of what you’re trying to do to another place. If that makes sense. And then you start to lose track of who you are over the course of 90 minutes. Which I believe our strength last year, and what was great for this group, and the group back then, was actually to be a little bit more calculated in possession. Let the ball run a little freer. As Mark [Delgado] said, simplicity. Getting the ball from guy to guy. Positional discipline. Getting across the field. Doing the things that are there. Building attacks with some continuity in the group and not just trying to make that one big play happen right away. And I feel like that’s… it’s an honest effort that is trying to get that one goal that will get us ahead of the game. Because we know if we score first, then our chances of winning go way up, just off of statistics. And if we don’t, then we are swimming up stream. So, I think that, the knowledge of that even, come into the game, be patient, move the ball, side to side, let’s get it off our foot to the next guy, all we talk about… once the game starts, we just get drawn into this, like, ‘we’ve got to go score,’ ‘we’ve got to go score.’ If we get the first one, we’re in a good place. And then we have that confidence to play. And I think it’s throwing us out of, which I believe, is our comfort zone in the grand scheme of things. And then we play a little bit of a disjointed game over the course of 90 minutes. Which, again, tonight, we had chances to score. We had chances to put ourselves ahead of the game. We had chances to win the game. But, think games like that are always going to be 50/50 at best. Are you going to win or going to lose? Who knows. But if we can play our way, which is what I said to the guys, I think you start to tilt the bar in your favor, and maybe it becomes 70/30 and you have a chance. Because you’re playing inside of what your strengths are, and not this open game. If that makes sense. Sorry, that’s a lot. But, that’s what I believe is inside the team right now a little bit. We’re a little drawn into this hyperaggressive kind of forward, and we’re just putting ourselves in tough situations.”
On his thoughts on the Javier Hernández red card, and if it’s frustration boiling over and if that is a good or bad thing for the team:
“Yes. I think when it’s a red card, I don’t think it’s a good thing for the team. I do think that… I wouldn’t mind seeing inside of our team, a little bit of, not frustration, but a little bit of, like, playing with a little bit of a chip on your shoulder, physically. A little bit of getting into things. Just, being hard to play against sometimes in that way. If you’re coming to our house and you want to play, then, okay, we’re going to play. I’m going to get into you a bit. I’m going to be difficult for you today. I see our forwards receive balls, and center backs are putting them in five yards away and giving them a good kick and giving them something. And I see other forwards receive the ball and don’t… they just play right out of the situation sometimes. And I think we’ve got to do a little bit of a better job of not giving a little bit more. And, again, not in a way that you’re going to take a bunch of yellow cards and red cards, I just think as a part of the game, you just have to show the opposition that you are physically here to impose yourself on them as well. And then when we have the ball, we are going to play. Our way. We’re going to do it our way. But when we don’t have the ball, we are going to be really hard to play against in that way. I think we can continue to do a little bit more of that.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER MARK DELGADO
On what was exactly discussed with the supporters after the match:
“Just a conversation between us and the supporter group, that's all.”
On what was said between the supporters and the players:
“It's more of the same. More of the same message, but obviously the results haven't been going our way so we're going to continue hearing it and I'm not here to say that they're wrong. They're right. Every time we step on the field, we have to be ready. Whatever that is. Whatever we're doing away from training, away from the game, we have to get ourselves ready. This is our job. If you're not fully focused then why are you doing this?”
On whether or not he thinks the team is focused during the match:
“I would say we're not all there just from start to finish. As you can see, we can play a lot of the game, and there's a lot of the game that we turn off or force things and then we end up exerting unnecessary energy and it’s not needed when we could have simply kept the ball and kept it moving. I don't understand why we don't do this, because this is the philosophy of Greg’s game plan. I don’t know. It's a simple game. You’ve just got to play the game simple. There will be moments for creativity and that will happen, but we’ve just got to be patient and a lot of times we're not patient. So they're [the fans] right. The fans are right. We need to be better.”
On whether or not it’s a complicated solution to fix the issues the team is going through:
“No, not complicated at all. It’s a solution of how committed are you? How bad do you want it? How willing are you to commit to sticking to the right things and not letting your ego get in the way? It’s that simple. We’ve said everything and we’ve heard everything. There's a lot of talk, and I'm not one to talk. As you can see, I go on the field and I lay it all out there and I let that do the talking. I'll take in the information given to me and I'll continue getting better and progressing whatever my teammates need, whatever my coaches need, because I want to win and I'm sure everybody else wants to win. That's the solution.”
On whether or not he thinks the team is divided:
”No. I don’t think the team is divided. I don't think there's any differences between anybody or any problems between anybody. I think we just overcomplicate the game. That’s all. We just need to play the game simple. The game is 90 minutes long. We don't have to win the game right then and right there when somebody has a ball or we get an opportunity. Maybe it is there. Maybe it's not. Maybe we keep the ball, make them run. Maybe we organize ourselves and continue moving the ball and disorganize them and then we find another opportunity and then we get a second chance. Maybe a third chance with the organization behind the ball, but it comes down to patience. There's nothing toxic. Nothing divided between the players at all. It's just simple. Stick to the principles. And Greg's trying to preach this, but we continue to rush things and make the game very difficult on ourselves. We have the quality and the players… That's no doubt at all. We have the quality… skilled players who can put goals away, who can make plays, who can defend, who make saves. We have all the players needed to be a great team. We’ve just got to play simple and play the game, play the long game.”
