After a two-year hiatus, the U.S. Open Cup, the longest-running American soccer competition, is back, and the LA Galaxy will enter the fray in the 3rd round on Tuesday when they host San Diego Loyal SC at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The Galaxy are unbeaten in three games in league play, most recently putting in a gritty performance in a 0-0 draw at the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Greg Vanney opted to go toe-to-toe with his Fire counterpart Ezra Hendrickson in terms of defensive approach, and it was a real lockdown stalemate. Considering the Open Cup is a single-elimination format, a draw won’t do for this game, so they’ll have to generate some offense unless they want to grind for 120 minutes and then decide it through penalty kicks.