ORLANDO, Fla. – The LA Galaxy believe they need to learn from the heartbreak of dropping a disappointing 2-1 result on the road to Orlando City SC.
Will Johnson had put Orlando on the board early with a stunning strike in the ninth minute and then Cyle Larin’s stoppage time finish cancelled out Romain Alessandrini’s second half equalizer to give the hosts three points.
The Johnson finish was the fifth time in six matches that the Galaxy conceded the opening goal, forcing LA to again claw their way back into a match. Although the Galaxy were mere seconds away from getting a point on the road, the defeat was a major disappointment to the squad.
“Every game is different,” head coach Curt Onalfo said after the match. “The crowd had a lot of energy they had a lot of energy to start It’s a difficult environment to play and a lot of travel. They were better to start the game, and we just kept grinding and grinding.
“That shows our fortitude and our will win. We positioned ourselves to get a point. We just have to defend and defend well. You just need to defend better and take the point home.”
After a sloppy opening quarter of an hour, the Galaxy slowly wrestled back control of the match and came close to finding an equalizer with Giovani dos Santos even hitting the bar with a fantastic free kick.
Alessandrini’s fourth goal in three games gave the visitors their deserved equalizer, but Orlando broke Galaxy hearts in stoppage time when Larin beat Jermaine Jones to a Johnson corner to give the Lions their fourth home win of the season.
Following the match, captain Jelle Van Damme admitted that “everybody has to look at themselves” after the team’s defeat and his teammates agreed.
“Altogether, everyone is upset and down that after we came back we lost that game,” Jones said. “It’s not easy. We have to talk about it and see what we can do better. It’s a process where we have to learn from. Those mistakes cannot happen every game.”
With the reigning MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders FC kicking off a three-game home stand for the Galaxy when they visit StubHub Center next week, Onalfo believes that it’s vital that his team learns from their mistakes
“We have to build, we have to learn, and we have to get better. That’s what our group does. It’s a long season, and you’re going to have ups and downs,” Onalfo said. “It’s how you respond to them. We’ll learn from this. We’ll grow from this.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
