The LA Galaxy scored inside two minutes, and before long Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a brace. But this is an El Trafico, and anything can happen.
In the end, the teams clawed their way to a 3-3 draw Sunday night before an electric crowd at Banc of California Stadium.
With Daniel Steres out due to red card suspension, Jorgen Skjelvik was inserted on the left flank with the tough task of guarding Carlos Vela. Despite a few close calls, it must be said the Norwegian managed to keep him Vela off the scoreline.
Before two minutes had passed, LA were ahead when Cristian Pavon broke through the middle of the pitch and slid a pass to Ibrahimovic on the left side of the box, and the big Swede’s near-post finished eluded Tyler Miller.
Latif Blessing would level the match in the 12th minute, but the Galaxy responded in minutes: Zlatan ran onto an erroneous clearance from Walker Zimmerman and calmly dribbled around the onrushing Miller before tapping home.
Blessing would secure a double of his own right before the half, and the match was on. This was amplified when Vela slotted home an easy finish minutes into the second period.
LAFC dominated the second half, but the derby began to take its toll. At around the hour mark Vela tweaked his hamstring and would be forced to exit the match as newly signed DP Brian Rodriguez made his debut. As the action continued Jonathan dos Santos would go down on the turf with a concern of his own, and eventually he made way for Servanco Carrasco.
Despite a late barrage the Galaxy held on to secure the points and win the season series. LAFC have still never beaten their rivals.