LA Galaxy Player Ratings vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

This game could be boiled down to about six minutes of play, one minute of the second half, and the entirety of stoppage time at the end of the game. The LA Galaxy squeaked by with three points in this one, with a last ditch goal (and a Bond save) pretty much at the death.

The first half saw the Galaxy have 70% possession at times, but their promising attacks needed a better final pass. This was something that plagued them against Seattle, and continued here. Grandsir was the culprit this time, generating most of the offense in the first half by charging into good positions, but then being let down by the final pass. That said, it was another good game from him where hopefully more minutes eventually translate into better accuracy.

Ballooned crosses or crosses missing everyone in the box was the name of the game in the first half, but to start the second, two pinpoint passes gave the Galaxy the lead.

That great start to the second half dwindled as the Galaxy got tired. The last twenty minutes was pretty much all Vancouver Whitecaps, and it looked like LA let the game get away from them at the very end. But Efraín Álvarez and his left foot had other plans.

Player Ratings

Excellent

• Jonathan Bond - had his first action in the 64th minute and was up to the challenge. Great stop on a header at the death.
• Séga Coulibaly - good defense to start the game, prevented a shot from White in the 3rd minute. Did it again, cut out a cross a few minutes later. More solid defending on Cavallini in the 15th minute. Bailed out his own error to end the half. Important blocks in the 85th and 86th minutes.

Good

• Samuel Grandsir - sent in several promising crosses in the first half that avoided everyone. Was the Galaxy’s focal point of offense in the first half. Killed a promising counter in the 63rd minute. Very involved.
• Julian Araujo - Important cut-out of a dangerous ball to end the half. Wasn’t his best game, but didn’t do much wrong either.
• Jorge Villafaña - important interception right after the Galaxy’s goal. Great block in the 68th minute.
• Chicharito - classic Chicharito goal to start the second half, getting used to him sliding for these passes!
• Efraín Álvarez - absolutely stellar finish off his treasured left foot for the game winning goal. What a time for a golazo to salvage three points. Man of the Match for the winning goal.
• Sacha Kjlestan - secondary assist on the Galaxy’s first goal. Wasn’t the most incisive overall, but an assist is an assist - and it was a lovely one.
• Sebastian Lletget - delivered a spot on assist to Chicharito to start the second half. Earned the free kick that led to the game winning goal.

Okay

• Víctor Vázquez - just missed on a long distance shot in the 19th minute.
• Kévin Cabral - cut out the pass that led to the Galaxy’s first goal. He was a bit better this game in finding the offense, but still tended to be a ball hog (please stop dribbling straight into the defense).
• Adam Saldaña - not much to say for his 25 minutes.

Poor

• Jonathan dos Santos - Missed a tackle to start his time on the pitch. Then his man hit the crossbar with a header on Vancouver’s dangerous free kick in the 79th minute.
• Cameron Dunbar - absolutely terrible defending on Vancouver’s late goal. Needed to be physical, and was anything but.
• Nick DePuy - didn’t do much wrong until a bad high tackle in the 78th minute earned him a yellow card and Vancouver a dangerous free kick. Then part of the duo that let in the late Vancouver goal. Nearly let in a second at the very end of the game.
• Oniel Fisher - Lucky that he didn’t have a penalty called on him in the 81st minute for an aggressive challenge.

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