The Loons will have no problem making Galaxy fans cry in the MLS Playoffs

On By Littum

Believe it or not, the MLS season is still underway. The pesky international break over the last two weeks caused the league to pause mid-postseason and wait.

Believe it or not, the Loons remain in the playoffs. It seems like ages ago that they survived two games with Real Salt Lake that required penalty kicks to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

And believe it or not, the Loons have a real chance to still be in the playoffs after this weekend. All they have to do is turn LA Galaxy on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park. This current version — the Loons roster has been on quite a journey this year — can do this.

Loons fans cringe as they read the last paragraph. The Galaxy are up there with Atlanta and Seattle as teams that have plagued them over the years. The Loons have won three, drawn five and lost eight in 16 games against LA, with the likes of Jonathan dos Santos, Sebastian Lleget, Billy Sharp and Gabriel Chaves punishing them over the years.

This year’s Galaxy team has four players with at least 10 goals in the regular season, led by Chaves’ 16 goals and 12 assists. They humiliated Colorado in the first round, outscoring the Rapids 9-1. Riqui Puig, their creative force, scored four goals and added an assist in the series. They play with great freedom and they are free to score as much as they can. They led the Western Conference in shots on goal during the regular season.

“They’re kind of predictably unpredictable,” Loons coach Eric Ramsay said. “They’re maybe a bit like Real Madrid in this part of the world. I’d say they’re some top individuals, but playing in a pretty loose way – hard to predict exactly where certain players will turn up.”

But the Loons have the tools to disable the Galaxy’s scoring pipeline. They have embraced a style that keeps the ball out of their net. They have a cagey veteran defender in Michael Boxall who has seen it all and a rugged midfielder in Hassani Dotson to keep the Galaxy in check.

Ramsay will play with a back five if he deems necessary and their counter attack is strong.