June 24, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – LA Galaxy News Release
SANDY, Utah – Behind a stoppage-time winning goal by Efrain Álvarez, the LA Galaxy earned a 2-1 road win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez notched the opening goal of the match, while Sebastian Lletget and Sacha Kljestan registered assists in the win over Vancouver.
Chicharito Tied For MLS Lead In Goals
With his goal in the 47th minute in the match, Hernandez is now tied for the league-lead in goals scored (8) with Seattle’s Raul Ruidiaz. Notably, Chicharito registered his third goal in four games played on the road during the 2021 campaign.
Goal-Scoring Plays
LA – Javier Hernandez (Sebastian Lletget, Sacha Kljestan), 47th minute: After Kévin Cabral forced a turnover in the Vancouver half, Sacha Kljestan quickly played the ball out wide to Lletget, whose low cross was finished by Hernandez’s sliding finish inside the six-yard box.
VAN – Janio Bikel (Cristian Dajome), 90+2 minute: Janio Bikel unleashed a low, hard shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
LA – Efrain Álvarez, 90+3 minute: After a failed clearance inside the penalty area, Alvarez controlled the ball and his left-footed, curling shot picked out the top left corner of the net.
Postgame Notes
Following the win, the Galaxy improved to 6-3-0 during the 2021 MLS regular season.
Wednesday’s match marked the 26th MLS regular-season meeting between LA and Vancouver, with the Galaxy improving to 13-8-5.
In 12 regular-season road matches against Vancouver, the Galaxy hold a 4-4-4 record.
Dating back to March 24, 2018, the Galaxy are 2-1-1 in their last four road matches against the Whitecaps.
Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney has a 5-3-1 record in eight MLS regular-season games managed against Vancouver, dating back to 2015.
Chicharito tallied his eighth goal of the 2021 MLS regular season, which ranks tied for the league lead.
Efrain Alvarez recorded his first goal of the 2021 campaign.
Sebastian Lletget notched his second assist of the season.
In eight games played (6 starts) against Vancouver in MLS regular-season play, Sacha Kljestan has registered one goal and four assists.
Kljestan made his 288th MLS regular-season appearance after logging 59 minutes against Vancouver. Kljestan’s 288 MLS regular-season games played ranks 54th all-time in MLS history.
Kljestan and Lletget are tied for the team-lead in assists (2).
Next Game
Playing their second game in four days, the Galaxy travel to face the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on Saturday, June 26. The June 26 match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT and features a national television broadcast on TUDN.
LA Galaxy (6-3-0, 18pts) at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2-6-1, 7pts)
June 23, 2021 – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
LA Galaxy 0 2 2
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
LA: Hernandez (Lletget, Kljestan), 47
VAN: Bikel (Dajome), 90+2
LA: Álvarez, 90+3
Misconduct Summary:
VAN: Godoy (caution), 23
LA: DePuy (caution), 78
Lineups:
LA: GK Jonathan Bond; D Julian Araujo, D Nick DePuy, D Séga Coulibaly, D Jorge Villafaña (Oniel Fisher, 71); M Victor Vazquez (Adam Saldaña, 71), M Sacha Kljestan (Jonathan dos Santos, 59), M Sebastian Lletget; F Samuel Grandsir (Cameron Dunbar, 82), F Javier Hernandez ©, F Kevin Cabral (Efrain Álvarez, 60)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Jonathan Klinsmann; D Giancarlo Gonzalez; M Jonathan Perez; F Ethan Zubak
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Chicharito, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Chicharito, Álvarez, 1); FOULS: 10 (DePuy, 3) OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
VAN: GK Maxime Crepau; D Javain Brown (Caio Alexandre, 53), D Erik Godoy, D Andy Rose, D Cristian Gutierrez; M Cristian Dajome, M Janio Bikel, M Michael Baldisimo (Leonard Owusu, 71), M Russell Teibert © (Deiber Caicedo, 58); F Brian White (Ryan Raposo, 71), F Lucas Cavallini
Substitutes Not Used: GK Thomas Hasal, D Jake Nerwinski, D Ranko Veselinovic; M Patrick Metcalfe, F Theo Blair
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Caicedo, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Three players tied, 1); FOULS: 10 (Cavallini, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 0
Referee: Tori Penso
Assistant Referees: Ian Anderson, Jeremy Hanson
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo
VAR: Malik Badawi
Weather: Clear, 81 degrees
Attendance: N/A
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
LA GLAXY POSTGAME QUOTES
LA GALAXY HEAD COACH GREG VANNEY
On the game:
“”I was frustrated on how we were managing the 1-0 lead just trying to get messages into the guys about shifting the field position a little bit more, we were sitting deep recovering ball and then trying to play out of pressure and not getting out of pressure, not getting numbers high, and then we kept putting ourselves under pressure. I felt like it was it was coming a little bit we weren’t doing the right things to manage the game especially in a really difficult place to play like Salt Lake and we’ve already talked about that as a group. Obviously once we gave up the goal, it’s a frustrating way to give up a goal, but the response was outstanding. Obviously the goal was a wonder goal from Efra [Efrain Alvarez] to bury that. We dug ourselves out one today on an incredible play and a great save by Bondy [Jonathan Bond] it’s a situation and a save where we just don’t need to make that save if we move out team up the field and we play longer and into their half of the field we can shift the field position and manage that game with a little bit more security. To be fair this is a hard place to play with the altitude, a little bit the temperature, it’s an opposition who has no shame, no fear and just playing balls direct up into their strikers and our center backs are battling all night for first balls and second balls and it became one of those nights but I’m proud of those guys they showed character once again this year and they showing that they believe in their ability to get results everywhere we go so we’ll take it.”
On the team scoring early in the second half:
“I felt again that there are windows of opportunities where we need to play the ball forward faster, we need to play into our strikers, we need to work for the space behind the other teams backlines more… We kind of just play in front of and from side to side and there is too much of that and so possessions don’t turn into attacks and defending teams don’t really have to answer questions from us in terms of us really probing and trying to create problems for them. I felt like we were just missing opportunities, so the ask at halftime was to break lines more, to go into the strikers if we could shift the field… Find our moments to press when we could do that which is really where the goal came from. Kevin [Cabral] does a great job of back pressing from outside to inside and he recovers the ball and within two passes… Sacha [Kljestan] makes an incredible sort of reverse pass with his left foot that finds Seba [Sebastian Lletget] in the back side and it wasn’t how we drew it up, but we talked about getting closer to the end line and squaring balls across the face of the goal so we would have cleaner looks and it happened off of a press. But that is the type of goal that if we could do that more often we are going to start scoring more goals, but it was because the reverse pass got us behind the backline and we could square one and Javier [Hernandez] does what Javier does ,which is if we can we get to good spots he’s going to find little gaps in the box to finish things off. Pleased with that goal, both goals were fantastic goals obviously the first one was more of a team goal and the second one was an incredible strike from Efra [Alvarez].”
LA GALAXY FORWARD JAVIER “CHICHARITO” HERNANDEZ
On tonight’s game:
“That is the talent and quality that Efrain has that is why I’m the first one who expects a lot from him because he is a diamond. He needs to improve a lot and he needs to learn. He is very young but I always tell him that he is a national team player and we need to expect a national team player’s performance like today when he comes onto the pitch or when sometimes he starts that is what all LA Galaxy club and fans expect from him to put all the effort and put all the talent and then sometimes you can play a good game or you can play bad games. It’s part of this profession, but at least you need to play like a national team player like he is. Today is a reminder for him and for all of us about the talent that he has.”
On scoring his eighth goal of the season:
“I think it was an amazing counter press and transitional goal. I remember that Kevin [Cabral] pressed and recovered the ball and then the pass from Sacha [Kljestan] was phenomenal and it put Sebastian [Lletget] in a very great position. Then Seba gave me the cherry on the pie and that was the only thing I needed to do… Don’t miss that chance and I think it was an unbelievable play that we did in a counter press and in a very good transition.”
LA GALAXY MIDFIELDER EFRAIN ÁLVAREZ
On his game-winning goal:
“”It was honestly a moment that I had been waiting for a long time. I saw Nick [DePuy] going up for the ball and I was like, ‘I’m going to stay back and see if I can get the rebound.’ I had in mind what I was going to do. And I was ready for the opportunity.”
On helping the team leave Salt Lake City, Utah with three points:
“Honestly it means a lot for me. Collectively, we want to get the most points we can right now and I am happy, more than happy, to be able to help the team. I want the team to be in first place and this is what we are working. I’m happy that we got the three points and it’s a step closer.”
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