CARSON, Calif.—It was a result nobody saw coming. It was a wake-up call for the defending MLS Cup champion L.A. Galaxy and one that forces the team to take a hard look at itself and come up with answers.
The Portland Timbers scored five goals in the second half and hammered the Galaxy 5–2 for their first ever win at StubHub Center this past Sunday.
It was supposed to be a day of celebration for the Galaxy in their last home game of the season—fan appreciation day including a special address from defender Todd Dunivant, who has provided dedicated service to the team since 2009.
But, in a game that was a tale of two halves, L.A. suffered only its second home loss of the season. They used to have the best home record in the league.
L.A. dominated the first half, but only had a 1–0 lead to show for it. Portland stormed out in the second half and took a 3–1 lead in the span of a nine-minute stretch.
Galaxy captain Robbie Keane scored his second goal of the game to make it 3–2, but a minute later, Portland made it 4–2. To add insult to injury, Maxi Urruti made it 5–2 in stoppage time with a goal that made the Galaxy defense look silly.
Losing the Physical Battle
Bruce Arena’s team came out a distant second in the physical battles that demonstrate a team’s desire to win.
“They just thoroughly dominated us in a physical nature more than anything,” Arena said. “It wasn’t tactical. It wasn’t anything more than I thought their desire to win that game and fight and work was much greater than ours.”
He was disappointed with his team and was delayed in starting his brief press conference due to, among other things, a bit of a team pep talk after the game.
Arena described the talk as, “a little bit more [pointed], but not a whole lot more.” He said he clearly gave his team “a couple of things to think about.”
