Seven games into the season, and the Los Angeles Galaxy are having their way with the rest of the league. Their latest victim was Seattle, as the Galaxy routed the Sounders, 4-0, at Qwest Field.
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Though the Galaxy won because of an overwhelming attack and a suffocating defense, the team also used one other important ingredient to win convincingly—something that has been present since Day One: confidence.
“We are feeling very confident,” defender Omar Gonzalez told MLSsoccer.com by phone. “We go into every game thinking [our opponents] should be scared of us because of the way we’re playing right now.”
Four different players scored goals as the Galaxy won by their largest margin of the season. All four—Jovan Kirovski, Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant and Landon Donovan—scored their first goals of the season.
Seattle, meanwhile, had no answer for the Galaxy’s torrid attack. Whether it was a long-distance shot (Kirovski’s strike), a set piece (Gonzalez and Dunivant) or a deft pass (Donovan), the Galaxy shredded Seattle’s hapless back line.
For Gonzalez, scoring his first goal of the season and second of his career was something he’d been hoping for.
“Landon played a great ball... and I just made it to the near post and just put it away,” Gonzalez said. “I was very excited. I’ve been wanting to score for a while—and it came—so hopefully it leads to more goals.”
Defensively, though, Gonzalez had just as much of an impact. He and Gregg Berhalter once again put the clamps down on an opponent as the Galaxy picked up their fifth shutout of the season —and third clean sheet away from home.
“We’re just going out there and playing our game," Gonzalez said. "We just played it right. Gregg was very solid back there with me and the midfield was very active and just shut their team down.”
Confidence seemed to grow in a span of eight days. The Galaxy scored three goals for the first time this season in a 3-1 win over Philadelphia a week ago. Facing two challenging road games in a span of four days, the Galaxy merely focused on each match as it presented itself. On Wednesday the Galaxy beat Colorado, 1-0, and then had to turn around and head to Seattle, who did not play a midweek match. Even so, the Galaxy looked far more charged and energetic than their hosts.
While the Galaxy’s season could change after their next match—both Donovan and Edson Buddle could get called up to the U.S. national team’s World Cup training camp—Gonzalez said their approach will remain the same.
“We just see it game by game," Gonzalez said. "We know we’re going to be losing Landon and Edson to camp and maybe the World Cup for Edson, but we’re definitely taking it game by game and just hoping we keep winning. We’ll just worry about that stuff later.”
