CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy became the first Major League Soccer team to earn 50 points this season with their 3-2 victory over FC Dallas on Sunday.
The Galaxy’s three Designated Players, Giovani dos Santos, Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard all scored as Los Angeles held off a furious comeback by the visitors to move to the top of the league standings. With just three regular season games remaining, the Galaxy are two points ahead of both Vancouver Whitecaps FC and New York Red Bulls, who each have games in hand on Los Angeles.
However, this supposed advantage for their rivals matters little to the Galaxy. They know that they’re the ones leading the chase for the Supporters' Shield as the league heads down the final stretch.
“There’s one team with 50 points, and that’s us,” head coach Bruce Arena told reporters after the victory. “We got 50 in the bank; somebody else has to get that. That’s the most important thing.”
Keane added, “I’ll take the points on the board all day long rather than the games in hand. You still have to win the games in hand.”
The result was hardly a pretty one for LA, as Dallas nearly equalized late after several desperate attacks, but the Galaxy held them off, registering their first goal since Aug. 23rd. Dos Santos’ tally in the 11th minute ended the goalless streak that had reached 290 minutes.
While getting back on the board may seem like a major confidence booster for the group, Keane asserted afterward that the snapping the streak meant "nothing."
“No one on the team was thinking about when we were going to score. Maybe the media was more than we were,” said Keane. “I can guarantee that the players weren’t thinking about that. We know that we have players on the team that can score goals. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t we have the highest goals scored in the league right now?”
The evidence backs up Keane's claim, as the Galaxy's total of 52 goals is one better than the Red Bulls' current mark.
Los Angeles will now look to add to their lead in the Supporters’ Shield standings next Sunday when they travel to CenturyLink Field to face Seattle Sounders FC. The trip will be the Galaxy’s first visit to the Emerald City since they clinched the Western Conference Championship in dramatic fashion last November.
The match in Seattle will certainly be heated, but the Galaxy understand that if they want to end the regular season with silverware, they'll need another victory.
“We want to win everything. It’s the type of club that has high expectations, and we’ve got the responsibility to deliver as many prizes as possible,” said Gerrard. “You see our support tonight, it was fantastic once again, and it would be nice to reward [the fans] with a trophy, if not two, at the end of the season.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
