The MLS Is Back Tournament: A Jona and Vela-less El Tráfico in Orlando
The MLS is Back Tournament will continue today Saturday with another installation of the Angelino derby better known as, El Tráfico.
Both teams will be coming into the derby in less than ideal situations, which will make it all the more interesting to see how they respond to the added pressure of the rivalry game. The Galaxy come into the game after having lost their home opener against Portland 2-1. More than the loss however, really it was the teams poor showing that has fans worried. In large part this may due to Jonathan Dos Santos absence from the tournament, but whatever it may be, the “G’s” are going to need to come up with a strategy soon if they want to notch another win against LAFC. The silver-lining to all this of course is that Chicharito was finally able to score his first LA Galaxy goal in the previous match against Portland (although he did notably miss a penalty in that same game). Hopefully that will serve as the catalyst that Chicha needs to step up his goal scoring for the team.
LAFC on their end will also be without a star player of their own. Carlos Vela opted to sit out the tournament to be closer to his family during these times, and while of course his team has missed him they did just fine without him against Houston Dynamo earlier in the week. While they didn’t get the win, they did manage to leave with a 3-3 tie. While many criticized that the Dynamo should have been an easy test for LAFC, their gameplay that day served as a reminder that they are still a highly offensive team, even without Carlos Vela. It’s this dangerous offensive style of play that LAFC is so good at what will aid them the most in today’s match, especially since the Galaxy isn’t particularly known for their defensive play. Today’s El Trafico will mark the 7th time these teams face off against each other, with the Galaxy winning twice and LAFC winning only once. All eyes will be on LAFC and trying to see if they can level their win record with the other Angelino team.
You can catch the action tonight on ESPN/ ESPN Deportes at 7:30PM PDT.
