LA Galaxy II's slump continued this week, as they failed to rebound from their 4-0 405 Derby loss to Orange County SC at the weekend, losing 3-0 to Re
LA Galaxy II’s slump continued this week, as they failed to rebound from their 4-0 405 Derby loss to Orange County SC at the weekend, losing 3-0 to Real Monarchs at StubHub Center on Wednesday.
Galaxy II defender Jean Engola, rested on the weekend, conceded a first-half penalty and LA found no answers for the rest of the night, as former MLS player Sebastian Velazquez notched the PK goal and an assist for the visitors. The loss is record breaking for Los Dos, who are now on a six-game winless run after starting the season with a win, their longest such run in club history.
And guess what? The road gets no easier for them at the weekend, as they are traveling all the way across the country to take on the defending USL champions New York Red Bulls II, at Red Bull Arena on Sunday. Coming into the season, this was probably perceived to be a “prestige” game for USL, as two of the best performing MLS2 teams clash in a cross-country battle. But Red Bulls II’s start has not been as poor as LA’s but rather somewhat lackluster, while Galaxy II are really struggling at the moment.
On the other hand, maybe the change of scenery will do LA some good. Smart money would not go on a Galaxy II win here, but USL is an unpredictable league, and we know any outcome is in play on a weekly basis.
In contrast, Orange County SC’s long road trip, less than half the distance of the Galaxy II’s jaunt, doesn’t look quite as daunting. But don’t let that fool you — a trip to Tulsa to take on the Roughnecks on Saturday will be far from easy. Oklahoma road trips have tended not to be especially productive for OC, and this is the first of two in successive weekends for them.
Add in Tulsa coming off a victory on Thursday, and the home team, which is also going through a reboot this season after being one of the worst teams in the league in 2016, will be feeling good. But in that detail is a sliver of hope for Orange County — Tulsa will be playing two games in three days, and while they’re at home for both, one figures they’ll have to do some squad rotation this week. And that might give Logan Pause’s side a chance to rack up more road points this season.
LA Galaxy II will play New York Red Bulls II at 6 pm PT on Sunday at Red Bull Arena. You can watch the game on USL’s matchcenter.
Orange County SC will face Tulsa Roughnecks at 5 pm PT on Saturday at ONEOK Field. The game stream is available at that game’s matchcenter.
