The LA Galaxy started the 2022 season in solid fashion, but the latest performance led to familiar refrain pinging around my brain: They need to play faster.
Against Orlando City on Saturday, which to be fair was a smash-and-grab 1-0 win for the Lions, the game state hurt LA, as Orlando took a pretty early lead and sat deep to defend most of the rest of the game.
It’s hard to play against a low block, a system that stymies even some of the best teams in the world, and it’s a contributing reason why the tactical evolution in the sport has shifted from a possession-based style that favored FC Barcelona with Pep Guardiola as manager, to a pressing style made most successful to date by Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.