CARSON, Calif. – Winning your home matches is the most important objective when navigating through the CONCACAF Champions League group stage and the LA Galaxy completed that task handily on Tuesday with a 5-0 drubbing of Comunicaciones at StubHub Center.
Mika Vayrynen opened the scoring while Alan Gordon and Robbie Keane each tallied a brace as the Galaxy ran roughshod over a Guatemalan team still in preseason. The win came on the heels of LA’s group stage opener which saw them thrash Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago, 5-1.
With two games in the books, the Galaxy were rightfully pleased about their progress so far in the continental competition.
“The goal difference is very important. To score five goals is always good,” said LA captain Robbie Keane. “Hopefully that will just push us over the line.”
Added Vayrynen, “It is very big especially since we have the goal difference. ... That is very important especially when you win home the first two games you can go to away games with good confidence.”
The goal differential that both players mentioned could be vitally important as the team turns their attention from winning the group to seeding for the knockout stages.
After two matches in CCL, the Galaxy find themselves in command of the group with two wins and a plus-nine goal differential after tallying 10 times and conceding only once in the two matches at StubHub Center.
“That’s great. It’s a great little cushion but we still have a lot of work to do,” said Alan Gordon. “We know it’s very difficult to play in CONCACAF away from home. Tough conditions, so that’s good to have but we still have our work cut out for us.”
The job is hardly done for the Galaxy as they now face the most difficult part of CONCACAF play, the dreaded road trips to far off locales. LA will return to CCL play on September 23 when they make the 10-plus hour trek to Trinidad and Tobago to take on Central FC before ending the group stage in Guatemala on Oct. 21 against Comunicaciones.
Although the Galaxy are in the driver’s seat in Group D, they know that the job is not done yet.
“We’re only halfway there. We did what we wanted to do in these two games [at home],” defender Dan Gargan said. “We’ll approach the next two games with a similar mentality because we’re not done yet. We’re not through and we haven’t won the group. Until that happens, our mindset is the same.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
