Galaxy carry momentum into road match with Timbers

Field Level Media|published: Tue 17th September, 20:17 2024

Jul 20, 2024; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec (11) moves the ball past Portland Timbers defender Claudio Bravo (5) in the second half of their MLS soccer match at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Coming off a signature victory, the Los Angeles Galaxy will aim to keep rolling when they visit the Portland Timbers on Wednesday.

Trailing 2-0 through 52 minutes against Los Angeles FC last Saturday, the Galaxy emerged with a 4-2 win after scoring four unanswered goals against their El Trafico rivals. The Galaxy (16-6-7, 55 points) remain seven points behind Inter Miami for the Supporters' Shield, and they extended their Western Conference lead to seven points over second-place LAFC.

"The win (over LAFC) shows exactly why it's so important to win the West and be able to play ... this type of game in the playoffs in this building," Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. "Because when we started going and the energy started to get going and the momentum started to go, the fans got behind us because we finally brought them into the game."

Clinching home-field advantage is critical for a Galaxy club that is 11-1-3 at home and a more modest 5-5-4 on the road this season.

The Timbers (11-10-7, 40 points) are in a similar state, with an unbeaten 7-0-2 record in their last nine home matches. Portland is 8-2-4 overall at home and only 3-8-3 on the road, including a 2-1 away loss to the Colorado Rapids last Saturday.

"I thought we had incredible chances to win (in Colorado) ... and then we lacked two moments of concentration and it cost us," Portland coach Phil Neville said.

Despite being "bitterly disappointed" by the defeat, Neville noted that "at this stage of the season you can't dwell on it," given the congested postseason race. The Timbers are in a playoff position with six regular-season matches remaining, but only in the Western Conference play-in match for now.

Galaxy midfielder Edwin Cerrillo will miss Wednesday's match due to a suspension for caution accumulation.

The Galaxy (57 goals) and Timbers (56) rank second and third in MLS in scoring. Dejan Joveljic leads LA with 14 goals, while Jonathan Rodriguez and Felipe Mora each have 13 for Portland.

Los Angeles is unbeaten (4-0-3) in its last seven matches against Portland, dating back to the 2021 season.

--Field Level Media

Latest