CARSON, Calif. – The last remaining undefeated team in the MLS has fallen.
The Los Angeles Galaxy scored four unanswered goals in the first half to rout the previously unbeaten, Real Salt Lake, 5-2, on Saturday night at StubHub Center.
Gyasi Zardes, Mike Magee, Emmanuel Boateng, Giovani dos Santos, and Steven Gerrard all scored for L.A. as they rallied from an early Juan Manuel "Burrito" Martinez goal to stun the Claret and Cobalt club from Utah.
"They were firing on all cylinders," RSL manager Jeff Cassar said. "Our shape wasn't great but we did have a very good second half and a good response and I thought our small tactical change of players slowed them down just a hare."
The game couldn't have started any better for the Galaxy after Tony Beltran tackled Dos Santos in the box just five minutes into the game, awarding L.A. a penalty kick.
Midfielder and interim captain Steven Gerrard, stepped up and took the penalty in place of injured star Robbie Keane, but RSL keeper Nick Rimando, dove to his right and made the save. Rimando is no stranger to penalty saves, as the USMNT goalie has made 10 saves in his last 18 penalty shots.
"I should have given the penalty to someone else," joked Gerrard after the game. "He's a phenomenal keeper and because he's a Liverpool fan, I missed on purpose."
Minutes later, Dos Santos juked a defender in the box, and beat Rimando for a wide-open shot, but it hit the near post, prompting the Mexican midfielder to place his hands on his head, stunned, that he missed the gimme goal.
The two early misses would come back to bite the Galaxy like steel whips as less than four minutes later, Martinez would give RSL the lead thanks to a cyclone-like cross by Luke Mulholland.
"I'm thinking [expletive] happens," LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena said of the team's start. "We were playing so well up to that point, that it didn't bother me and it didn't bother the team."
But the goal merely awoke a sleeping giant and for the next thirty minutes, RSL simply had no answer for the Galaxy's high-octane offensive attack as L.A. scored a flurry of fantastic goals in a matter of minutes.
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Zardes struck first, taking on three defenders, and netting the equalizer from distance as his right footed shot from five feet behind the box beat Rimando to the bottom right corner of the net.
"It took a great effort by Gyasi [Zardes] to bring us back in the game," Arena continued. "I think his equalizer gave us a lot of confidence."
After an injury removed Burrito from the pitch, L.A. continued their lethal attack with the go-ahead goal by Magee in the 26th minute. Ghanaian midfielder, Emmanuel Boateng, gifted the former MLS MVP a goal when his superb low cross from close range fell at the feet of Magee in front of the goal.
"We had been preparing all week to have Lletget out there," added Cassar. "But Boateng throws a different look to their play and we found out, obviously, how good he is. LA was good tonight, very good."
Boateng opened his MLS and LA Galaxy account in the 41st minute as he sliced and diced through defenders, running a three-man weave inside the box with Dos Santos and Zardes who found the small scorer for the finish inside the center of the box.
"I jumped in front of Gyasi [Zardes] and stole his goal I guess," laughed Boateng. "I took his touch and saw he was far behind so I just poked it in."
Not to be outdone, Dos Santos scored his third goal of the season on a fantastic golazo just before the half. The El Tri attacker stunned the RSL defense when his off balance chip from the left corner of the box floated over the head of Rimando like a balloon in the wind.
Two questionable calls in the second half awarded a penalty kick to RSL which was converted by Javier Morales, but without Martinez, RSL did not stand a chance and picked up their first loss of the season.
Gerrard scored the dagger in the 90th minute after he cut across the box to his left, and beat a sliding Rimando to the right corner for his first goal of the 2016 campaign.
There were plenty of bright spots for the LA Galaxy who were without stars Sebastian Lletget (groin) and Alan Gordon (lower body injury). In Lletget's stead, Boateng shined the brightest on the pitch and with Dos Santos dominating the offensive attack, L.A. looks unstoppable in the near future.
Players of the Game:
Emmanuel Boateng: Goal and two assists
Giovani Dos Santos: Goal and an assist
Gyasi Zardes: Goal and an assist.
Three Takeaways:
1. Offensive Onslaught: The Los Angeles Galaxy have an MLS-leading +10 goal differential on the season. They have scored 9 goals in their last two games, and 13 in their last five games overall. All this, without star striker, Robbie Keane.
Poor calls from the ref but glad to see the @LAGalaxy offense back on �� tonight. #LAvRSL #GalaxySocial — Aileen Yoon (@aileentotheleft) April 24, 2016
2. Gio's Golazo: After his dominate performance against the Dynamo last week, Dos Santos added another goal and an assist to his account on Saturday. His goal however, is one for the highlight reels, as his off balance chip shot under heavy defensive pressure was a thing of pure beauty and as the announcers in the clip below said, shades of the 2011 Gold Cup final.
SERIOUSLY, @OficialGio??? #LAvRSL https://t.co/DGItdJc9Xa — Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 24, 2016
3. Don't Rock The Boateng: LA Galaxy rookie Emmanuel Boateng was easily the Man of the Match on Saturday night. The Ghanaian "Mighty Mouse" put the MLS on notice has he scored a goal and two assists on the night.
Ok. Stop me if you've heard this one, but a terrible first touch by Zardes walks into a goalscorer's path. BOATENG! pic.twitter.com/Ij9BiGzKSA — Total MLS (@TotalMLS) April 24, 2016
Up Next:
Galaxy (4-1-2, 14 points): The Galaxy will travel to Kansas City for a rematch of the regular season finale from last season when they take on Sporting KC on Sunday, May 1st at 5:00PM PST.
Real Salt Lake (4-1-2, 14 points): RSL returns home to Utah to host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, April 30th at 6:30 PM PST.
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