An anemic performance saw Austin FC lose to the LA Galaxy 0-1. This loss is Austin’s first home loss of the season. Through nine games, Austin is in second place in the Western Conference, three points behind LAFC.
LA Galaxy scored just six minutes in. Ethan Finlay did well to win the ball back deep in the defensive half. However, his attempt to clear the ball was poor, landing at the feet of Marky Delgado about 30 yards from goal. Delgado took one touch and fired it off the post past Andrew Tarbell. Tarbell got fingertips to the shot, but was only able to guide it off the post.
Nick Lima certainly spared Austin FC from going down two goals. LA Galaxy worked the ball from the right on a counterattack. Chicharito was unmarked just inside the box, but the pass for him was under hit. Lima hustled back to intercept and keep Austin down by 1.
Austin’s best chance of the first half fell to Sebastián Driussi in the 30th minute. Finlay headed a cross down towards Driussi in the center of the box. However, Druissi got under the ball on his attempt and blasted it well over the crossbar.
Chicharito had another chance to put LA up two in the final minute of the first half. The driven cross from Kevin Cabral found Chicharito alone right in front goal. However, Chicharito could not control the cross and skied his shot over the bar.
The second half started the way the first half ended, with the LA Galaxy sitting back and time-wasting and with sloppy, wasteful play by Austin FC. In fact, I struggle to remember a sloppier game by the verde and black.
The generalized passage of play saw Austin win the ball back in their own half, press up field through one of the midfielders, get the ball out wide to a winger, and finally inside to either a midfielder or striker.
The problem was that pass accuracy was poor and shooting accuracy was even worse. When Austin got into dangerous spaces, the play was far too slow to catch the LA Galaxy out of position in transition, allowing them to keep their shape in defense. The less said about this match, the better. Hopefully this is just one of those off nights. On to the next one.
Final Score: Austin FC 0, LA Galaxy 1.
Next up, Austin FC travel to Utah to take on Real Salt Lake on Saturday, May 14th. Salt Lake are currently in 5th place in the West Conference, and just four points behind Austin.
Three Takeaways
Lack of Shooting Accuracy
Austin won the shooting battle tonight, 13-9. However, this was the most hollow of victories. Although Austin took 13 shots, only 2 were on target. The most concerning aspect was how far off those other 11 shots were from target. Shots from 30 yards do not do any good if they sail 20 feet over the crossbar or wide of the post.
Both Teams Looked Off
Despite picking up the 3 points, the LA Galaxy looked far from good tonight. I have already talked about how poor Austin looked, and LA did not look much better. Their passing accuracy was worse than Austin’s. After the early goal, they sat back and dared Austin to break through their defense. Credit to them, that plan worked.
The Start of a Very Tough 10 Days
Austin do not have much time to correct what ails them. This week and a half may be the most difficult of the season. Next Saturday, Austin travel to Utah to take on the 5th place Salt Lake. The following Wednesday, we travel to LA to face the 1st place LAFC. These 10 days will be a true test for Austin squad.
Goal Scoring Summary – LA Galaxy
- 6’ – Marky Delgado (unassisted)
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