KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Head Coach Bruce Arena had a message for his team after the LA Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night.
A year ago, they didn't earn this point.
This season is a different story however as his 2016 Galaxy side has a new mentality and a new fighting spirit. Los Angeles went down to 10-men midway through the second half on Sunday against Sporting but held firm to earn a point from Children’s Mercy Park.
“Those are the games that we usually gave up a late goal, especially being a man down. Everyone on the field was fighting because we wanted that point,” defender A.J. DeLaGarza said. “We know how crucial it is, especially this early in a place like Kansas City. It’s a hard-earned point.
“I think it’s a game where we did not play well, and we got a point. You take those [performances] and today is one of those days. We know how tough it is in Kansas City. I’ll take it and move on.”
The match was full of ups and downs for the Galaxy, who went behind on a Brad Davis strike in the 30th minute, only to claw back thanks to a counterattacking goal finished off by Giovani dos Santos after a marvelous pass from Gyasi Zardes 12 minutes later. Los Angeles headed into the second half full of momentum, but that was extinguished when Ashley Cole was sent off in the 69th minute after earning a pair of yellow cards within the span of 30 seconds.
After Cole’s controversial ejection, the Galaxy were forced to batten down the hatches to stop a Sporting side pushing hard to find a winner. Thanks to the play of veterans like Jeff Larentowicz, Robbie Rogers, and goalkeeper Brian Rowe, Los Angeles withstood the onslaught.
“I think our guys did a great job, even when going down to ten men. Some days are going to look like this, but the grind up to get a point here is important,” Arena said afterward. “We are pleased with that. I don’t think we played well today. We had a lot of issues with this game today. It’s a point. We are going home. We are not looking back.”
With the result, the Galaxy are now undefeated in their last six matches and have lost just once this season. Following their latest point away from the StubHub Center, the suddenly scrappy Galaxy look up for the fight.
“We are showing off a lot character. We have to continue in this fashion,” Dos Santos said. “Games on the road are tough and today, we showed a lot of character.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
