Recap of March 6, 2015 Match: LA Galaxy vs Chicago Fire

(Photo via FollowLANews)

On March 6, 2015, the LA Galaxy played the first game of the entire 2015 Major League Soccer season against the Chicago Fire at home In the StubHub Stadium.

Starting Lineups and Substitutions

It became quite a memorable game for LA Galaxy’s midfielder Jose Villareal and goalkeeper Brian Rowe. In only his 13^th start with LA Galaxy, he scored the first goal of the 2015 MLS season in the 65^th minute. Because of Landon Donovan’s retirement, Villareal played in Donovan’s old position. According to a recent MLS article, Villareal believes he will be able to fill the former number 10’s position. With such a great performance on March 6 and in preseason games, I think he can do it too. Villareal impressed both fellow teammate Robbie Rogers and head coach, Bruce Arena.

Brian Rowe received the call to start the game after Jaime Penedo’s limited playing time during the preseason games and injuries. He kept the goal clear of any Chicago Fire shots and earned a clean sheet! His strong performance sparked a goalkeeper competition between Rowe and Penedo. Who will Bruce Arena choose to start against the Portland Timbers on March 15? Could the opening match have decided who starts the most in 2015?

During the game, the LA Galaxy defense—Omar Gonzalez, Robbie Rogers, Dan Gargan, and Leonardo—successfully held off the Chicago Fire. Although it’s only the first match, the defense seemed to have improved tremendously from last season. Hopefully they will continue to excel and strengthen!

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said as strongly for the offense. While the LA Galaxy won 2-0 because of goals from Villareal and Robbie Keane, the team struggled with attacks. Both players scored their goals late in the game—65^th and 81^st minutes. Could this be a sign that the depended too much on Landon Donovan to make goal scoring opportunities? With their dominating possession (53% percent) and number of shots (13), you’d think the Galaxy might have scored more. Maybe Villareal’s presence in the midfield will be the necessary tool to improve the offense. Whatever it takes, something will need to happen soon and stay consistent.

Even though the Las Vegas Super Book predicted the LA Galaxy’s odds at winning the 2015 MLS Cup to be 3/1, anything can happen and 19 other teams want the MLS Cup!

For more information, check out:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/03/14/newly-dedicated-jose-villarreal-la-galaxy-earns-positive-reviews

http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-03-06-la-galaxy-vs-chicago-fire/recap

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things LA Galaxy and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, all the time!

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