Quicksand: San Diego Loyal 2, LA Galaxy II 1

LA Galaxy II took the lead and looked like they could hang on for the win and then a draw, but a late winner meant San Diego Loyal flipped the result and took all three points on Saturday at Torero Stadium, by a 2-1 scoreline.

Los Dos played pretty well overall, but a combination of wayward finishing, great play by San Diego goalkeeper Trey Muse, and a couple defensive breakdowns mean the road team could not get out of San Diego with a result.

Jonathan Klinsmann made his first appearance for any Galaxy team this season, getting the start in goal for Los Dos. Danny Acosta also made his first competitive appearance for the organization, starting at left back.

Jorge Hernandez tagged the post in the 5th minute for LA, the midfielder looking to get the visiting team off on the right foot.

The teams traded chances on both ends of the field in the first half, Los Dos getting more shots right on target but Muse was up to the task.

Owen Lambe made a last-ditch sliding block in the box a few minutes before halftime to stop a likely San Diego goal on a Corey Hertzog one-timer.

The teams went into the break with the game scoreless. I think San Diego had maybe a slight edge in terms of the run of play, but it was pretty well even, both statistically and by the eye test.

Klinsmann made a big stop at the hour mark, with Miguel Ibarra bearing down on him on a throughball, and the goalkeeper slid out to take the ball off Ibarra.

Then LA went right down and scored at the other end, with Hernandez slotting the shot home on the angle, a slight deflection helping it beat Muse.

Axel Picazo was Los Dos’ first substitute, as he replaced Jonathan Perez in the 62nd minute. Then, newcomer Remi Cabral made his debut for Galaxy II for Cameron Dunbar, and Josh Drack entered for Preston Judd, both subs in the 69th minute.

Klinsmann made a huge double-save a couple minutes later to keep a surging San Diego attack from getting the equalizer, and he caught the rebound off Alejandro Guido’s shot a minute later off the volley.

But Guido found the goal for San Diego in the 75th minute, with an angled shot from distance after dribbling in from the flank and Klinsmann couldn’t stop it.

Drack had a fantastic one-timer at the other end a few minutes later, but Muse made the reaction stop.

Then Guido set up the winner for San Diego in the 84th minute, with Jesus Vazquez missing a tackle on the counterattack, before Guido hit a looping cross that Miguel Berry scored with a diving header.

Marcus Ferkranus exited the game in the 89th minute for Adrian Gonzalez, LA’s final sub of the night.

It’s a disappointing result for Junior Gonzalez’s group, who had a result in their hands and got rope-a-doped by a San Diego team that’s finding a knack for turning it on late this season. I think this is a bit frustrating but sometimes it happens, and hopefully it’s a learning experience for the reserve team.

It will be a short turnaround for Galaxy II, who will next host Las Vegas Lights FC at Dignity Health Sports Park on Wednesday. These teams already played this season in this venue, and Las Vegas haven’t picked up any points on the road yet this season, but they have grabbed four points in their last two games. We’ll see what happens!

What do you think? Leave a comment below.