LA Galaxy vs. FC Dallas Player Ratings

Oh, there you are 2017! How I didn’t miss you. Tonight’s LA Galaxy game against FC Dallas was a distinct flashback to what made 2017 terrible: disorganization, a makeshift defense, a misfiring offense, and general chaos. To win championships you need a solid defense, and the Galaxy just don’t have that right now.

Sidebar: how is it so hard to find a right back? Other teams do it. So why does the Galaxy have a CB playing RB who wants to literally abandon the right side every chance he gets?

Sigi Schmid’s seat is getting hotter and hotter with the Galaxy approaching dumpster fire levels of coordination. This team doesn’t look good, and it becomes quite evident when they play decent teams. (Portland should get their saw ready.) The only good news is that the Galaxy beat the teams that are even worse. But that’s not saying much right now and will still leave this team playoff-less at the end of the year.

The Galaxy are on the outside looking in. The World Cup break can’t come fast enough. Should Schmid still be here, there is major work to do during the time off.

Player Ratings

Good

· Zlatan Ibrahimovic – great pass to Alessandrini to send him in alone in the 36^th minute. However, that was the exception rather than the rule in the first half – his passing accuracy was less than 50%. I was going to rail on him about his general pouty attitude – you can only pick on other teammates when you’re playing well – when he made me eat crow by scoring twice in the second half. After being offside, shooting directly at the keeper, and a dive, he had two lovely finishes to give LA a last minute lifeline that didn’t pay off. Two goals gets you a decent rating.

Okay

· Romain Alessandrini – individual effort to put the ball just wide in the first 15 minutes. Didn’t test Gonzalez in the 36^th minute after a decent run. Great pass to Ibrahimovic in the second half that didn’t get converted. 4 key passes and once again hits the crossbar. Looked dead legged towards the end of the game and couldn’t serve in a decent cross from the right.

Poor

· Ashley Cole – beat by Colman on FC Dallas’ second goal. Stripped late in the game forcing Ciani into a tactical foul. Too slow to be playing midfield and looked his age tonight.

· Jorgen Skjelvik – jogging back along with Hilliard Arce on Acosta’s chance. Part of team D standing around on FC Dallas’ first goal. Gets beat at the very end of the game after over committing (and he was the last man back!).

· Tomas Hilliard-Arce – jogging back along with Skjelvik on Acosta’s chance. Nearly beat by Colman. In general didn’t look up to the pace of the game – he has six defensive actions. Total.

· Daniel Steres – beat by Acosta and gets lucky when no one from Dallas in the six. Part of team D standing around on FC Dallas’s first goal. Continually sucked into the middle like when he last played fullback, thinks he’s playing CB. Zero defensive actions in the final third on the right. Zero. Pretty much had an awful 58 minutes.

· Perry Kitchen – since his job is protecting our defense, not sure what he’s doing watching goals from the top of the 18 when they happen. Seriously frustrated with his weeks of poor performance. Did have a header that was cleared off the line but was playing too far up the pitch all game.

· Servando Carrasco – serviceable, but part of a midfield that couldn’t control the ball. Jonathan Dos Santos, the Galaxy misses you.

· Sebastian Lletget – solid assist to Ibrahimovic for the Galaxy’s first goal. But other than that, overrun with the rest of the midfield and not enough of a creative presence.

· Ola Kamara – not involved enough on the left hand side, floated his crosses. Couple of good key passes to Lletget and Ibrahimovic that didn’t work out.

· David Bingham – played small in contrast to previous games. Good save on Barrios on what would have been Dallas’ fourth goal.

· Michael Ciani – kept Acosta onside for FC Dallas’ third goal, and got beat on the subsequent shot. Lost his composure towards the end of the game, generating the red card on Colman yes, but also showing a lack of leadership.

· Emmanuel Boateng – crosses were poor tonight.

· Chris Pontius – late sub, provided the assist to Ibra.

Man of the Match: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, making up for his poor first half with a brace.