PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano’s Three Points from the LA Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with Central FC in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
LA GALAXY WIN GROUP D WITH DRAW AGAINST CENTRAL FC
The LA Galaxy secured their place in the quarterfinals of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League with their 1-1 road draw against Central FC.
The Galaxy trailed for much of the match but Alan Gordon scored in the 83rd minute to give LA their equalizer, and the point needed to win the group. LA will return to Champions League action on Oct. 21 when they travel to Guatemala to face Comunicaciones.
With the Galaxy having already locked down the group, the match in Guatemala will only be relevant for seeding implications for the quarterfinals.
EARLY GOAL GIVES CENTRAL THE EDGE AT THE START…
Central FC may be out of contention in the CONCACAF Champions League, but the Trinidadian club gave the LA Galaxy all that they could handle for much of the match.
The Sharks scored just three minutes into the match when Willis Plaza beat LA goalkeeper Brian Rowe with a low shot to the far post. The poor start was just what Bruce Arena’s men were hoping to avoid, as Central soon dropped numbers into defense and set about disrupting the Galaxy’s fluidity in the final third.
Despite controlling possession, the Galaxy’s play in the final third was poor, as they repeatedly found themselves unable to break down the hosts. It wasn’t until Bruce Arena brought in Jose Villarreal and Raul Mendiola in the second half that LA finally created quality chances eventually resulting in Alan Gordon’s equalizer.
…THEN ALAN GORDON PLAYS THE HERO AFTER MENDIOLA AND VILLARREAL BREATHE LIFE IN THE GALAXY OFFENSE
The LA Galaxy attack appeared to be on life support until Bruce Arena brought on Jose Villarreal and Raul Mendiola in the second half, and the move paid dividends as the pair helped create Alan Gordon’s equalizer.
For much of the match, the Galaxy struggled to create chances in the final third. But once the two Homegrown forwards entered in the second half, LA began to find their way through the hosts’ defense. The duo finally helped the Galaxy breakthrough in the 83rd minute when Mendiola found Gordon for the easy tap-in that gave the LA the goal that they needed to earn a point in Trinidad.
Villarreal nearly gave the Galaxy the victory in stoppage time with a well-timed run through the Central defense, but the young attacker was taken down in the penalty area by a Central attacker.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
