IRVINE, Calif. – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano provides his Three Things We Learned from the Galaxy’s 4-2 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes.
OLA KAMARA BAGS A BRACE
The LA Galaxy needed a goal scorer a year ago, and as they head into the 2018 regular season campaign, it seems that they have their man in Ola Kamara.
Kamara notched a brace in the defeat to San Jose to bring his goal tally to three this preseason. In each of his two goals, the striker’s instinct in front of goal was on full display as he capitalized on a pair of opportunities inside the penalty area.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Kamara’s performance for head coach Sigi Schmid will be that the Norwegian striker’s chemistry with fellow attackers Romain Alessandrini and Giovani dos Santos remains in its infancy.
TEAM STILL FINE-TUNING THEIR DEFENSE
It’s clear that there is still work to be done defensively for Sigi Schmid’s LA Galaxy after his squad conceded the most goals of their preseason campaign on Saturday.
As was the case a year ago, the Galaxy’s defensive concentration was lacking at times as the Earthquakes were able to punish the Galaxy in quick succession after finding the back of the net. The most grievous issues occurred in the second half as sloppy giveaways by the defense cost Schmid’s squad goals.
Following the match, Galaxy captain Ashley Cole admitted that he was concerned with the team’s defensive cohesion, but was optimistic that they'd be ready before the March 4 home opener.
GIOVANI DOS SANTOS REBOUNDS AFTER INJURY SCARE
Giovani dos Santos had a rollercoaster afternoon in Orange County.
Just moments into the match, the LA Galaxy’s star striker appeared to go down with a right knee injury after tangling with a San Jose attacker along the touchline. The Galaxy’s Mexican striker revealed postgame that he was afraid that the issue could be a serious one, but after being checked out by the team’s medical staff, the forward continued and ultimately went 84 minutes in the defeat.
Dos Santos showed no signs of slow down following his scare as he displayed flashes of positive attacking play, while also helping assist on Ola Kamara’s final goal of the contest.
