Recap of May 6, 2015 Match: LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake
- Updated: May 17, 2015
(Photo via Twitter User @tylerpgibbons)
After an hour delay because of lightning strikes, the match on May 6, 2015 between the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake finally started around 7:30pm Pacific Time. The Galaxy played two games this week—this match and one against FC Dallas on May 9, 2015, which will be recapped in a separate article.
Starting Lineups and Substitutions
| LA Galaxy | Real Salt Lake (RSL) | ||||
| 18 | GK | Jaime Penedo | 18 | GK | Nick Rimando |
| 33 | D | Dan Gargan | 2 | D | Tony Beltran |
| 22 | D | Leonardo | 4 | D | Jamison Olave |
| 4 | D | Omar Gonzalez | 12 | D | Elias Vasquez |
| 20 | D | A.J. DeLaGarza | 17 | D | Demar Phillips |
| 38 | M | Bradford Jamieson | 5 | M | Kyle Beckerman |
| 25 | M | Rafael Garcia | 19 | M | Luke Mulholland |
| 6 | M | Baggio Husidic | 7 | M | Jordan Allen |
| 3 | M | Stefan Ishizaki | 10 | M | Luis Gil |
| 11 | F | Gyasi Zardes | 49 | M | Devon Sandoval |
| 9 | F | Alan Gordon | 15 | F | Alvaro Saborio |
| 12 | GK | Brian Rowe | 24 | GK | Jeff Attinella |
| 21 | D | Tommy Meyer | 29 | D | Kenny Mansally |
| 36 | D | Oscar Sorto | 21 | D | Aaron Maund |
| 3 | M | Mika Vayrynen | 27 | M | John Stertzer |
| 19 | M | Juninho | 16 | M | Pecka |
| 40 | F | Raul Mendiola | 50 | M | Sebastian Saucedo |
| 15 | F | Ignacio Maganto | 13 | F | Olmes Garcia |
In the first half, neither team saw much success on the offense. The Galaxy failed to perform well in the midfield, but luckily, once Bruce Arena subbed Juninho into the game, the Galaxy seemed to play better. Juninho felt unwell before the game, so he stayed on the bench for the first half.
In stoppage time, Jamison Olave fouled Omar Gonzalez in the box and the referee awarded the LA Galaxy with a penalty kick. Gonzalez might have acted a bit during the foul (he punched the air several times afterwards in excitement), but he gave the Galaxy a much-needed final chance at three points. If you watch the replay, Demar Phillips rushed towards the sideline referee and yells at him for calling the foul on Gonzalez. Yet, with only a few minutes left in the game, I think the referee made the right decision to not card—or even eject—Phillips (RSL) for his outburst. Unfortunately, Nick Rimando (RSL) has a decent percentage of penalty kick saves, and sure enough, he saved Juninho’s PK shot. I wonder if Landon Donovan might have converted the same shot.
This match definitely saw improvement by the LA Galaxy defense. I might not be the biggest fan of Leonardo, but I’m warming up to him. He plays consistently and is a tall force with which to be reckoned on set pieces. I’m always excited to see Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza paired together in the backline. I think the defense performs very well with them both on the field. They have excellent chemistry off the field that translates into chemistry on the field.
Jaime Penedo played excellently and made sure the Galaxy left Salt Lake City with a point. He saved six shots compared to Rimando’s three saves. He deserved—and rightly received—Man of the Match against RSL.
Even though the LA Galaxy left Salt Lake without a much-needed win, a tie is better than a loss, especially in a two-game week. If the Galaxy’s offense can improve and the defense stays strong, they will hopefully see more wins during the rest of the season!
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