CHESTER, PA – Romain Alessandrini played the hero for the LA Galaxy in their 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union.
With the Galaxy down a goal heading into the second half and needing a spark, head coach Sigi Schmid opted to insert Alessandrini in place of defender Tomas Hilliard-Arce. The move paid dividends for the Galaxy as the energetic Frenchman provided two assists to give the Galaxy their third straight win and extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
“Alessandrini was vital coming off the bench for us. He set up [both goals] in the second half,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “We just thought that it was time for a change [after the first half]. … We decided to go more offensive, we asked Romain to play the whole line and he was fantastic. Not just offensively, but defensively as well.”
Asked to blaze down the flank in the attack and in defense, Alessandrini was vital for Los Angeles. In the 63rd minute, he was rewarded for all his tireless effort with an assist as he fed Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the go-ahead goal. In the closing minutes, his service off a corner helped put the game out of reach as Michael Ciani nodded his second goal in a Galaxy shirt.
Alessandrini now has two goals and four assists in his last three matches for Los Angeles.
“He came in with a lot of fire. He had some great plays,” said forward Ola Kamara. “He’s one of the players that decided this game.”
