HOUSTON— LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano offers his Three Points following the LA Galaxy’s 1-0 defeat to the Houston Dynamo. Giles Barnes scored the lone goal for the Dynamo in the 1-0 loss.
DEFENSIVE ERROR PROVES DECISIVE BUT…
Mistakes have been a common theme throughout the LA Galaxy’s 2014 campaign and on Saturday, another defensive error proved decisive in LA’s 1-0 defeat to the Dynamo.
In the 61st minute Dan Gargan fired a throw-in toward LA goalkeeper Jaime Penedo that was mistimed by the Panamanian allowing Houston’s Mark Sherrod to steal possession and find Giles Barnes. With Penedo out of position, Barnes curled an uncontested shot into the back of the net. Following the match, Penedo told reporters that he urged Gargan to delay the throw-in as the goalkeeper dealt with cramps.
Although the error was the turning point, the Galaxy did have plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net which leads us to our next point.
…FINISHING TOUCH ELUDES THE LA GALAXY
The LA Galaxy had their chances, but ultimately poor finishing once again proved their undoing in Houston.
From the opening whistle, LA were a threat to score as just seconds into the match, Brazilian striker Samuel sent an shot wide after finding time in the box. But LA’s finest attempt came in the 39th minute when A.J. DeLaGarza fired an attempt that was saved off the line by the head of David Horst. While LA had their attempts in the second half, a goal eluded them. On the stat sheet, the Galaxy’s domination was clear as LA managed 19 shots to Houston’s 11; nine of LA’s being on target.
As the Galaxy look ahead to Wednesday’s match at StubHub Center against FC Dallas, expect players like Zardes and, perhaps, even Galaxy II leading scorer Chandler Hoffman to earn minutes as LA looks to change their fortunes in front of net.
LA GALAXY HOMEGROWN RAUL MENDIOLA SHINES IN HIS MLS DEBUT
The LA Galaxy may have suffered a frustrating defeat at the hands of the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, but the team also caught a glimpse of the future.
Homegrown Player Raul Mendiola, who has been one of the stars of USL PRO affiliate LA Galaxy II, made his MLS debut on Saturday, going 25 minutes in the defeat just one day before his 20th birthday. The youngster made an immediate impact as he was active from the moment of his inclusion and nearly found the back of the net in the 76th minute when his attempt was fired just wide of the net.
After a solid performance as a substitute in the defeat to Houston, Mendiola seems in line not only for more minutes with Galaxy II, but also additional appearances for LA’s first team ahead of the World Cup break.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
