GUATEMALA CITY – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano provides his “Three Things We Learned” from the Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with Comunicaciones FC in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
LA GALAXY FINISH FIFTH IN CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE; WILL PLAY SANTOS LAGUNA
The LA Galaxy went from first place to fifth place in the CONCACAF Champions League standings in the span of just 30 seconds.
By virtue of their 1-1 draw with Comunicaciones, the Galaxy will face Liga MX side Santos Laguna in the quarterfinals in March. By finishing with the fifth seed, Los Angeles will host the first leg around late February and then travel to Torreón for the return leg around early March.
The Galaxy will have to take the long way to the CONCACAF Champions League title as they’ll likely need to beat three Liga MX teams to win. Not only will the Galaxy have to play Santos Laguna, but also potentially Club América if they advance to the semifinals.
BROKEN RECORD: ANOTHER LATE COLLAPSE FOR THE GALAXY
The time for wake-up calls is over: it may be October, but the LA Galaxy are still suffering from a late game malaise that first reared its ugly head early in the season.
Just as in Seattle in league play or in Salt Lake City in the U.S. Open Cup, a late error cost the Galaxy a crucial victory. This time around with just 30 seconds remaining, the Galaxy conceded another late goal as Comunicaciones capitalized on a series of Galaxy defensive miscues as Rolando Blackburn beat goalkeeper Brian Rowe for the equalizer. The goal erased what had been a strong defensive performance by Los Angeles for 92 minutes.
If the Galaxy are to make a run at a sixth MLS Cup, they’ll need to correct these late lapses in concentration and learn to close out games.
DID WE SEE TODD DUNIVANT’S LAST START?
Todd Dunivant captained the LA Galaxy in what might very well be his final start for the club in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw in Guatemala.
Starting from his familiar place on the left side of defense, the 34-year-old was relatively steady as he helped the Galaxy silence Cremas playmaker and leading goalscorer Jose Contreras for much of the match. Dunivant’s lone blemish came at the most inopportune time as he and Baggio Husidic were split by an attacker on the sequence that lead to the Guatemalan side’s equalizer.
After nine years at the club, whether Dunivant appears in another match will depend on his fitness level. If he can show the Galaxy coaching staff that he can stay healthy then Dunivant could be an option off the bench for the Galaxy heading into the postseason.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com