The Los Angeles Galaxy may have lost three out of their first four games. However, they have also won their last two games. After a convincing 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers and a 2-1 road victory over the Colorado Rapids, the former Supporters' Shield recipients are starting to show some champion-like characteristics.
A Stronger Defense
In the Galaxy's first three regular season games, they conceded seven goals. In the last three games, they have only allowed three. It's obvious that our defense is becoming stronger. After having adductor tightness, A.J DeLaGarza came back to have an excellent game against Colorado. He made a number of important tackles. The addition of David Lopes has been a boost. Yes, he was burned a few times during the Rapids games. Likewise, I won't say he's our answer to the best defense but his physicality is helpful. Rookie Tommy Meyer has potential and Leonardo will hopefully make his way back into the lineup soon. We still need a clean sheet but at least we are not giving away the goals anymore.
Cohesiveness
A good soccer team can read one another. They anticipate. They overlap. They make runs. Against the Rapids, this was seen when David Beckham found an unmarked Mike Magee on a free kick. The kick was deceptive and allowed Magee to head the ball towards the goal. Later, Edson Buddle made a run to draw the defenders away from Landon Donovan. Then, Robbie Keane fed the ball to our captain who was able to score for our second goal. Plays like these show that a team is in sync with one another. In a post-game interview Beckham said in the last two games the Galaxy has "played as a team." The team unity is one of the major reasons for the last two wins.
Finishing
Without scoring, a team just can't win games. Although Donovan missed an easy header against Colorado, he has also scored two great goals in the last two games. At the beginning of the season, it seemed that only Keane was scoring goals. Now, Donovan, Beckham and Juninho have all scored. It's good to see us taking more shots on frame and finishing our chances. We've scored 10 goals in six games and have a goal differential of zero. In the coming weeks, I expect us to score more.
As the Galaxy continue to win more games, they seem to have more confidence in each other. As for myself, my confidence in Los Angeles has been steadily increasing.
Melissa Matters is a long time Los Angeles resident and devoted Los Angeles Galaxy fan.
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