5 Takeaways | Diverging Styles LAFC 3 - 3 Galaxy 8/25/19

An old adage remains true even to this day whenever two heavyweights meet in competition. Styles make fights.

LAFC and the Galaxy played to a 3-3 draw on Sunday night and you didn't need coaching badges to see it.

Two sides took the pitch with differing ways of playing and different ideas of football. Two squads constructed in completely different ways. For that matter, two clubs that couldn't be more diametrically opposed off the pitch as well.

Not sure I'd send that tweet after giving up a two-goal lead. But every club is different. To each their own.

And still, through five matches, LAFC has yet to defeat their rival with a differing point of view. Facts, right? 

Yes, it stings. There's no arguing with records. Five matches, not a single victory. But ask yourself this: Has not being able to defeat the Galaxy stopped LAFC from becoming a better team over consecutive seasons?

Two seasons of football that resulted in the most points ever by an expansion franchise and currently has the Black & Gold on pace to best the all-time points record in a single season in year two. Two seasons, that despite zero wins against the Galaxy, has fostered a style of play that's exciting, proactive, and continuing to impress. 

Of course, points against your rivals matter. But despite never beating the Galaxy, LAFC is 20 points ahead of its rival in the table. And with seven matches remaining, LAFC is as a virtual lock to finish above the Galaxy in consecutive seasons.

So maybe we'll meet again in the playoffs. What a match that would be. And we can start that conversation all over again. 

Then again... only one of the rivals was in last year's playoffs and has already clinched a spot in 2019.

Here are the takeaways from the derby:

Tale Of Two Halves

Ever wanted to win so bad, you lost your head? LAFC looked that way to start this match.

From the opening whistle, LAFC tried to go forward, forward, forward. It was like they wanted to score all the goals at once. In doing so, the Black & Gold's decision making was suspect. 

They played bad passes, dwelled on the ball in crowded areas, tried to go fast when they should have gone slow. And yet somehow, they found themselves down just a goal at halftime.

In that second half, LAFC came to terms with what the Galaxy was trying to do and, more importantly, they put faith in their style of football. Bad passes that stretched the squad in the first half turned in to two, three, and four passes in a concerted way in the second half. Touches were quicker and more economical, too. And when LAFC did lose the ball, by playing passes to get up the field instead of an ill-timed risky pass, they found themselves in better areas to counterpress and win the ball back.

Clog Midfield, Counter Quick

There you go. In four words, summed up the Galaxy tactics.

Not to say it wasn't effective. And LAFC played right into it.

The Galaxy kept numbers behind the ball and had either Cristian Pavón, Favio Alvarez, or Uriel Antuna at the ready to release forward. With Zlatan already situated high up the pitch, they liked their odds attacking with as little as three players. And with LAFC in such a rush, too often it left too few in the back to deal with talented attackers on the run.

The third Galaxy goal was a perfect example. Bad turnover in a bad area in the middle of the pitch and with LAFC numbers forward. The Galaxy gets out on the run, finds Pavón in space and on the move, and LAFC players race over 40 yards towards their own goal before being able to defend. That's never a situation you want to be in, especially with a player of that caliber. 

Quick Corners

Not a huge takeaway here, but one I still found interesting. 

Set pieces are an area almost every team can improve on. Yes, even a team with 74 goals on the season. 

The problem is that most teams do the same thing over and over, hoping for better results. Which is why I noticed something in the first half. LAFC wasn't just playing short corners, they were doing it in order to go fast.

Why? Because the Galaxy are a tall team, at least compared to LAFC, and a quick corner negates Zlatan's ability to get back in time. On at least three occasions, LAFC had the ball in play while Zlatan was still trying to organize the team and find his spot. It didn't result in any goals, but that's an interesting nuance that shows LAFC is taking an active approach to its set pieces.

Gutsy Call

Less than 10 minutes after leveling the score at three with his league-leading 27th goal of the season, Carlos Vela was subbed off the pitch by Bob Bradley.

The LAFC captain wasn't happy. Despite visibly favoring his right leg after going down minutes before, Vela furiously tossed his captain's armband.

But Bob Bradley saw the bigger picture - and for what it's worth, I'm hearing Vela was later thankful after the match.

As of right now, it's being described as a "tweaked" right hamstring for Vela. After tying the match, no one wanted to find the winner more than Vela.

The way things have been going for him this season, you probably wouldn't have bet against him. But Bradley had to make the tough call. Allow Vela the chance to possibly get the goal that gives LAFC its first victory over the Galaxy while risking further injury or save his player from his competitive nature, knowing seven matches remain and in the bigger scheme of things he'll need Vela for a run at MLS Cup.

In the moment, it's not an easy decision. Vela was doing everything in his power to stay on the pitch and Bradley knew he wouldn't be happy to come off. But it was the right decision.

Brian Rodríguez Debut

Brian Rodríguez probably would have liked to make his debut under better circumstances - he came on for Vela in that tense moment. He definitely made the best of it though.

The quality of LAFC's new young Designated Player was on display right from the start. Rodríguez went right after Galaxy right back Rolf Feltscher. Smooth on the dribble, Rodríguez showed the ability to come inside to create his own shot and beat his man to the outside to pick out teammates in the box. He put the Galaxy backline under serious pressure from inside 25 yards, supplying two key passes and firing a shot on target that tested David Bingham.

Outside of that, Rodríguez looked comfortable with his teammates but showed he's still learning. It'll take him a little time to get totally familiar with the runs to make and how to react when LAFC is out of possession. But in just 30 minutes in Black & Gold, you can already see the quality the Uruguayan possess.