LA Galaxy Player Ratings vs. Seattle Sounders

I’m not sure what the coaching staff was doing on this one. I could have told you Seattle was going to counter and transition quickly. My neighbor could have told you that. Any article you read on mlssoccer.com about the Sounders would tell you that. So why did the Galaxy get surprised not once, but three times in the same manner?

Here’s a thought — maybe put pressure on the ball so Seattle doesn’t have the chance to counter? Or stop playing such a high line? I shouldn’t have to tell professionals to play to the whistle while their arm was flapping in the wind for an offside call that never came.

There was some good in this one: Jonathan dos Santos had some sparkling through balls, Joe Corona stripped Seattle of the ball multiple times, and we got to see Diedie Traore and Gordon Wild. But the bad outweighed the good, and teams have figured out that to stop the Galaxy all you need to do is double team Cristian Pavon.

Meanwhile, Chicharito is still a highly-paid traffic cone. This is partially not his fault as the Galaxy’s ball movement wasn’t so stellar, but he also needs to contribute for the money he is being paid. Patience is wearing thin.

Not a good game from Julian Araujo either, who now looks like he has the rookie jitters. Earned the bench again, this time for yellow card accumulation. Hope the Galaxy get to see the new winger sooner rather than later.

Player Ratings

Good

• Emiliano Insua - good clearance of a cross in the 3rd minute. Put in a beautiful cross to start the second half that Lletget whiffed.
• Jonathan dos Santos - lovely cross into Araujo in the first half that was just deflected. Even more beautiful through ball into Chicharito minutes later that resulted in a shot on goal. Stood off Morris in the 57th minute, was nearly punished. Man of the Match
• Joe Corona - bailed out by Bingham after a bad touch led to a Seattle strike. Very active in robbing Seattle of the ball, only three misplaced passes.

Okay

• Rolf Feltscher - nice cross into Chicharito in the 22nd minute. Next Morris victim in the 38th minute on a Seattle breakaway that led to their second goal. Sent in the garbage time cross that Lletget headed in for a goal.
• Efrain Alvarez - not active enough in the final 18 after his insertion.
• Diedie Traore - late sub.
• Perry Kitchen - late sub.
• Gordon Wild - late sub.

Poor

• Chicharito - shot right at the keeper off a through ball from dos Santos. He’s too expensive to be this invisible.
• Julian Araujo - beat by Morris’s speed down the right leading to Seattle’s first goal. Missed an opportunity to score in the 14th minute, was standing all by himself. Pulled a Kitchen when he didn’t close down a Seattle long shot. Earned a yellow on a dumb play to close out the first half, which earned him a spot on the bench next week. Not good from the youngster, and he was the first sub.
• Sebastian Lletget - shot right at the keeper with a weak touch to start the second half. Seconds later missed the target off a great cross from Insua. Third time the charm with a headed goal to end the game.
• Cristian Pavon - sent in a ball that Araujo needed to put on target in the 14th minute. Seattle double and triple teamed him knowing he was the Galaxy’s primary threat. It worked.
• Daniel Steres/Nick DePuy - entire defense caught upfield on Seattle’s counter. Rinse and repeat for each goal. Side note: DePuy didn’t have a single misplaced pass…not that it mattered.
• David Bingham - good save in the 9th minute after a bad attempted clearance by the Galaxy. Adventures in goalkeeping after he came way out to try and prevent Roldan from shooting.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.