Starting lineup against Tacoma today at 5 (in case you're still up for more soccer after the Euros and before the US game in the Gold Cup) 🗣️ Let's Go LA! #LAvTAC | #LosDos pic.twitter.com/LsLgto9Dwn— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) July 11, 2021 Interesting that Lopez is starting over Vom Steeg. Lopez hasn't played a game since May 23. My guess is that Vom Steeg has made it a bit more open competition with his less than superior play lately. Also interesting to see Lambe pushed up to midfield. Bawa played well the last game, so perhaps they are trying to find a way to get him on the field while still putting Ferkranus back in the starting lineup.
1-1 draw against Tacoma. That's better, but still not a good result. Own goal after a good give-and-go between Lambe and Dunbar. Cameron was subpar but credit to him for creating the only G2 goal. Lambe did OK in the midfield, he's good at fighting in tight spaces and the game suited him. Aguirre was missed, Los Dos weren't able to quickly build from the back. It's sometimes scary to watch Bawa, he's so raw you don't know you'll get a good through ball or a terrible short pass from him. He was too sloppy on Tacoma goal, this and another missed intervention by Vazquez. Ferkranus was OK. Judd looked curiously uninterested. For a player who likes to press, he barely did it and was not dangerous at all. Strange decision to sub off Jorge Hernandez in the second half, he was almost the only dangerous player and was fighting for every ball, winning a few close to the penalty box. Especially when Perez looked once again useless. Next game is on Saturday at Phoenix.
5-0 loss at Phoenix last week-end. A team in a terrible streak on the road against the best team in USL, I can't say I'm surprised. That said, the first 30 minutes were decent by Los Dos. Thanks to a few sparks by Picazo (one of the only bright spots of the last few weeks) and Judd, they had a few chances. Even Rémi Cabral was a little bit more involved, and had a shot saved off the line (he should have scored TBH). As it was the case two weeks ago against this same Phoenix team, Los Dos had a controversial call going against them when it was 0-0 (a BS offside which would have lead to a one-on-one between Cabral and the keeper). But the defense was terrible... Once again a goal from a corner kick, Ferkranus botched a clearance, that was pathetic (and overall Ferkranus has fallen into line lately)... Harvey looked not interested, situation should be hard for him, I guess he's with Los Dos juste because we lack international spots since the arrival of Raveloson while we're waiting a resolution with Pipo. Three players made their debut in the second half : - Felix Barajas (actually I ckecked and it was not his debut, but the first time he got extended minutes) : born in 2003 from the Academy, he scored a goal in a preseason game with the first team this year. Looked invisible. - Axel Essengue (2003) : also from the Academy, former player of the Cameroon youth teams. He seems to be a DM, and was easily beaten on the fourth Phoenix goal. - Juan Calderon (2004) : also from the Academy. Next game against Oakland at home on Sunday is going to be crucial. Los Dos needs to rebound and Oakland is last in the Conference (but with a lot of games in hand).
3-0 victory. Interesting that Harvey got the start at Center Back with Ferkranus, who seems to have hit a wall, going to the bench. Carlos came through. Shutout and strong headed goal is all you can ask of a center back. Vom Steeg also back in the lineup after Lopez had a run of generally unsuccessful games. Hernandez and Drack (at LW again instead of LB) with the other goals. I'm not sure if they think Drack at LB isn't going well (and it's certainly had its ups and downs, but that's to be expected if you try to move a forward to defense) or they are just running short of options since Remy Cabral has been underwhelming and some of the players they have used out wide have either been injured or have been called up to the senior squad (e.g., Perez, Aguirre).
Got an answer from the LAG FO today. Apparently there aren't any tickets to the LAG II this season and they're going to continue to play behind closed doors Covid style for the foreseeable future. Which frankly is BS. If the rest of the league can play in front of fans, you should be required to too because it's not only limiting your fans from seeing your team, it's keeping visiting fans, such as myself, from seeing our team.
Agreed it stinks. But I think when you factor in the regular attendance to Los Dos games, and then factor in the drop they will experience from Covid and the basic costs to open the stadium for a game, they probably won't make their money back.
I thought Los Dos played at the smaller track stadium for that exact reason, that few fans ever showed up?
They've played at both. But I think even the track requires a decent outlay of money. But I might be totally wrong about why they aren't letting fans attend.
3-0 win, in a convincing performance from Los Dos. High pressing and good spacing allowed Los Dos to take their first victory since May, 30th. With this win, they're back right above the playoff line. Admittedly, they have a couple of games in hand compared to Las Vegas, Tacoma and Sacramento, but we can hope this win can begin a new streak for Los Dos. Drack was great, his runs, his first touch, his crossing, all were superb. To respond to @Benny Dargle, I think his "new" positioning as a winger has more to do with the absences of Perez, Dunbar and Koreniuk (plus Remi Cabral being as influential as his brother), because I don't see how Bawa could be a better prospect at LB. I want to see Drack back in defense. Harvey was solid, almost never beaten and was a physical presence all game long. Again, it's a shame Saldana has played 3.5 more times than him with the first team. No offense to Saldana (who was not one of the worst player against Dallas), but Harvey is more MLS ready. Davila is so soft, it will never work at the higher level. Both Lambe and Picazo had brillant games, and what a touch from Picazo on the first goal. Too bad he won't be rewarded with an assist as Jorge Hernandez missed his shot who fell to Drack, so the assist officially goes to Jorge. Both him and Drack lead the team with four. Two negatives : Judd is digging deep for a goal but it doesn't want to come, leading to a couple of forced shots. He needs one to take his confidence back. Axel Essengue (18 years old) got his first start and looked out of place, tried too many times a suicidal tackle and was very raw with the ball. Next game will be a tough one, against Landon's San Diego on Sunday.
I mean I don't think it's a vendetta against anyone. It's just not really fair to the few LAG II fans that might be out there, or the fans of all visiting teams who might want to come watch their team (particularly the nearby teams in OC, San Diego, Oakland, Sac and Vegas). Particularly since I've seen LAG fans do travel to our stadiums for their away games. Would they really be losing that much money beyond the base rent to open a seating section, a basic concession stand and a pair of bathrooms? Especially since it's only for a year or so before they self relegate?
Lineup for today's 5:00 pm game against San Diego Loyal. Pretty similar to last game except Aguirre is back with the G2 to play this one. Harvey is also starting again at CB. I kind of wonder if they are trying to improve Harvey's versatility so he could be used in a utility role on the senior squad next year or if they are just trying to stabilize things a bit. Playing a line with Bawa, Vasquez, and Harvey doesn't seem like a developmental decision. Our Starting XI squad for #LAvSD 😎 pic.twitter.com/o7eipxL2ym— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) August 1, 2021
And another depressing loss, 0-2. San Diego was the better team, quickly scored two goals and completely controlled the game for the last 45 minutes. Landon Donovan's team has looked way better this season than last year, with way more mastery. First goal was caused by a shameful mistake by Carlos Harvey. Harvey had a good game otherwise, but sometimes looks nonchalant and can lose the ball in a dangerous spot. Same story all over again. Vom Steeg couldn't do anything on the two goals, and made a few good saves. Essengue's first touch is heavy as hell and Adrian Gonzalez has shown his limitations : hard with the ball, makes the foul and... That's it. Vicious, sometimes useful to be honest, but not very smart. The new Honduran DM (Gerson Chavez) can't come soon enough. In the attack, Jorge Hernandez was out of the rythm of the game, and watching Judd trying everything to finally get a goal is a little bit depressing. MOTM would once again go to Bawa who was one of our liveliest player, winning defensive and offensive battles. Owein Lambe was moved to the holding midfielder spot at halftime and, not for the first time, looked better here than at RB. The bar is not high though. Next game is on Saturday at Orange County, who are second in the Western Pacific Division. A loss is expected as Los Dos don't look like a playoff team right now.
Game currently on v OC. Galaxy up 2-1 in the 64th minute. Goals by Judd and Harvey, who once again starts at center back. Vamos #LosDos ‼️ pic.twitter.com/vAA5J71hdf— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) August 8, 2021
2-2 now. Perez and Aguirre have been really good. The defense, including Vom Steeg, have been less impressive
Aguirre scores in the 88th to win it 3-2. G2 was pressuring OC for awhile and had been denied only by desperation defense. 🙌🙌🙌@ambitiouschiri strikes from distance to give us the lead once again. pic.twitter.com/AQvD35E4o1— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) August 8, 2021
I wonder if Harvey is starting at CB because there’s many injuries at CB for Los Dos or if they’re trying to transition him into a CB full time.
Attended my first G2 game last night, and the kids are alright. Aguirre is solid and Bawa is fast as hell in person. LA was the better team on the night. Orange County SC has a really nice little stadium. I'll be back. I'd offer more game insight, but they had a beer festival from 5-7 before the game, so my analysis is a bit cloudy.
Convincing performance by Los Dos. Strangely, they undoubtly were the better team, creating a lot of chances especially in the last 20 minutes when it was G2 only. It seems we have Orange County's numbers, after beating them last year in the playoffs race we beat them twice on the road this season with two late goals (a 4-3 win last May and this 3-2 success). As @Benny Dargle said, defense was once again the weak link. Too much space in the box, too easy to run through the defense... Carlos Harvey scored another goal (two in the last three games) but was not reassuring. Too many botched clearances because of nonchalance as often. Bawa was once again our best defender but as I said a hundred times, technic is too raw. If he was as good with his feet as he is confident, he would be Dani Alves. Aguirre was the MOTM, with a beautiful assist to Judd and a decisive late goal. I thought he played higher as he usually does, freeing himself up for the other players. I blamed Jona for not being involved enough against Vancouver, Aguirre did exactly the opposite. Lambe has won me about his best spot : it's as a midfielder. Too bad we already have a ton of defensive minded midfielders (him, Harvey, Davila, Essengue, and the new Honduran Chavez). I had mixed feelings about Perez, who was dangerous but sometimes a little bit selfish. Happy for Preston Judd who finally scored a goal. He also missed two good chances but he was so painful to watch the last couple of weeks, you have to be happy for the guy. Next game is at Oakland on Saturday. Must-win game against the last-place team in the Conference if you want to stay in the playoffs race.
We recently signed two defensive midfielders : 💙🤍💛#LosDos signed midfielder @ascelessengue17 pic.twitter.com/TqHYgifUZh— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) August 6, 2021 ¡Bienvenido Gerson!#LosDos acquire Gerson Chávez on loan from RCD España 🇭🇳 https://t.co/GjIBDj8iaj pic.twitter.com/8n9uLEHQ8l— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) August 13, 2021
Game at Oakland in less than an hour. Lineup is here, no surprise : same players who won last week at Orange County. Jalen Neal is available for the first time this season.
Hernandez with a great free kick goal Free-kick specialist 🚀@jorgey_100 scores his 7⃣ goal of the 2021 campaign pic.twitter.com/2IIcN3jG2B— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) August 14, 2021