The Sequel is Never as Good as the Original: Galaxy II 3-0 Oakland

 

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This past Premier League season, Liverpool famously lost its top 3 central defenders to season-ending injuries. The team responded by powering down an attack that had averaged just over 2 goals per game in all competitions in the 2 seasons prior, privileging possession in the middle of the park over an all-out assault on goal. The injury bug eventually hit the midfield as well, and between the tactical change on offense, the rotating cast of characters in the defensive midfield role, and the fact that the fullbacks were asked to perform different roles than they had been playing, Liverpool suffered through a nearly season-defining 1-0-6 stretch in which they scored 4 goals and surrendered 12. Liverpool would typically control play through the first 60 to 75 minutes but fail to capitalize on the few chances they created before surrendering back breaking goals in the games’ final minutes.

Anyway, Oakland Roots took on LA Galaxy II last Sunday, July 25, in “Carson,” California. This was a rematch of Oakland’s only victory so far this season. Oakland set up in the first half ready to play through the middle, and, conversely to prevent Los Dos from doing the same. Dominating what Pep Guardiola would call the middle of the pitch and the half spaces. The team started with a midfield diamond, with Flores up top in the CAM role, Yohannes Harish on the right, Ariel Mbumba on the left, and Jose Hernandez as the deepest lying midfielder. The fullbacks, Ward and Takahashi, set up opposite their normal positions (i.e., Ward was on the left and Takahashi on the right), presumably to encourage play through the middle. That also allowed Ward, who appears the more defensively solid fullback, to shadow Galaxy II’s Axel Picazo, who we highlighted in our match preview. Brandon Allen got his first start with the team up top with Tarn Weir.

Roots showed a determination early on to end their goal drought, playing very aggressively on the counter. But after a few minutes, the game fell into a familiar pattern: Lots of play in the middle third, Oakland failing to generate much offense, and Los Angeles occasionally able to get to the edge of the box, but unable to generate any decent chances.

Oakland’s first real sight of goal came in the 17th minute. Harish stepped up to take the ball off of a Galaxy midfielder, charged forward, and found Brandon Allen, who had space in front of him and to his right. Unfortunately, Allen pulled what I like to call a “Mo Salah,” in which you forego the empty space in front of you to cut back into the teeth of the defense and get the ball on your left foot. Mo makes this work every once in a while (though not nearly enough to justify how often he does it); Brandon could not.

Probably going to be kicking himself about this one.

As frustrating as this was, it inaugurated a short spell in which Oakland controlled the game. For about the next 10 to 12 minutes, Roots for the most part kept their ball in the offensive end, but could only generate a few half-chances.

Oakland have only themselves to blame for losing their grip on the game. A couple of poor first touches from Flores (who, to be fair, had just gotten laid out by a pretty fierce tackle) and one wildly off-target pass by Brandon Allen in the 29th minute allowed LA to regain a foothold in the game. That misplaced pass, in fact, led directly to a golden opportunity for Los Angeles, but their striker, Preston Judd, got underneath his shot.

Disaster struck in the 33rd minute. Oakland attempted to play out of the back, but Allen and Flores were unable to link up, and LA took possession of the ball high up in their own defensive end. Oakland had essentially vacated the left side of the pitch—Tarn Weir and Ariel Mbumba had both moved centrally to support the budding attack—and LA’s right back, Owen Lambe, found plenty of space to run. Akeem Ward stepped up to close his run down, which left Axel Picazo, who Ward had been shadowing, free to run at the back line. Lambe played the ball to Picazo, who easily turned Ornstil, got to the byline, and put in a cross. Although Jorge Hernandez fluffed his lines, the ball fell to Josh Drack who had the time and space necessary to pick out the corner. Not a whole lot Blanchette could do to stop that one.

The goal opened up the game for the final portion of the first half. LA would generate a few more potentially dangerous chances, including one immediately following the goal and one in the half’s final passage of play, but Blanchette answered every question Los Angeles posed. Danny Flores nearly slotted one home off a free kick, but the Galaxy II keeper got a hand to it to preserve LA's one-goal advantage.

Oakland opened up the second half on the front foot. Roots made no personnel changes at the break, but their second half set up had quite a bit more width. Harish stretched out to the touchline in an early move, and when Oakland recycled possession down the other flank, it was Weir who pulled a defender all the way out wide. Both moves created space for Flores to make an underlapping run, and the resulting pressure drew another LA yellow card. In the 50th minute, it looked like the new set up had paid off: Off a throw-in, Mbumba and Weir played an accidental 1-2 that released Mbumba down the middle of the pitch. Harish bent his run out wide, and as the Galaxy left back moved to track Harish’s run, he opened up a passing lane for Mbumba, who feathered it into the open space behind LA's back line.

Harish's bending run

Harish cut his run in, and sent a low cross to Allen, who made an unmarked, far-post run. But Allen couldn’t direct the ball on goal.

Oakland kept the pressure up, but repeatedly failed to make anything of their opportunities, and eventually LA got back into the game. Through about 60 or 65 minutes, Oakland had the upper hand, but they had difficulty turning possession into real quality chances, and started to run out of ideas. A bevy of substitutions—Blackwood for Allen, new man Restani for Mbumba, and Memo Diaz for Ward—injected fresh legs, but couldn't change the narrative, and Oakland slowly lost their grip on the game. The back breaker came in the 78th minute, when Galaxy II CB Carlos Harvey headed one in off a corner kick.

Blackwood got two decent-looking chances in the final quarter-hour, but sent one wide and one straight at the keeper. And Oakland’s attacking urgency eventually cost them, as Galaxy II exploited space in behind the fullbacks to bag a third goal and seal the game.

How different is this game if Oakland converts one of its big chances? I don't have anything to add to this. But this seemed like a game where a goal from Oakland really would have changed things.

A short bench, again. Yesterday’s covid-effected roster did not include Emrah Klimenta, Tarek Morad, Kai Greene, or Matias Fissore. Despite giving up three goals, the defense overall seemed fine--of the three goals, one was off a set piece and another came while Oakland were throwing bodies forward. But it would have been nice to be able to move Jose Hernandez further forward. The pacy midfielder was featuring in his first contest of the season, and although he has historically played more of an attacking role, he was asked to play as a #6. He acquitted himself well, but you got the sense watching the game that his talents would be better suited to a more forward role. I think he might do well in a box-to-box role with this team, if Oakland ever get their attack sorted out.

“I’m interested to see the real Oakland Roots.” That was the last line the ESPN+ color commentator uttered before full time. And boy do I agree with it. Oakland look like a team that hasn’t found a rhythm yet, and it’s holding them back in key moments. We will surely see more changes in the coming weeks: Tyler Blackwood is getting back to match fitness, the defensive core mentioned above will hopefully be available soon, and of course Oakland have signed a trio of players to complement the front line.

At present, I am an advocate for more change. I’d like to see what the offense looks like with Allen and Blackwood together on the front line, maybe accompanied by Jeremy Bokila or Chuy Enriquez. I’d like to see what Tarn Weir can provide as a fullback or wingback. I’d like to see Hernandez and Fissore together in midfield. Ideally, these are kinks Oakland could have worked out much earlier in the season, but c’est la vie. As bad as Oakland’s situation looks vis-a-vis the postseason, they still have a lot of games in hand. The ingredients for a run are there, let’s just hope they find their groove, and a stable lineup, soon.