SD Loyal SC roll past LA Galaxy II 2-0
Credit: SD Loyal
The San Diego Loyal defeat LA Galaxy II after losing in their past two matches.
The Loyal needed a victory, and they shut out “Los Dos” in a Pacific Division matchup Sunday night.
San Diego improves to (7-6-3) with 24 points and remains in third place in the division. LA drops to seventh with a (4-8-4) record and 16 points.
The Loyal dominated this match from start to finish. LA created opportunities to score but never really threatened San Diego at any point in the match. San Diego took advantage of the early mistake from LA, and rolled with it the rest of the night.
Most of the usual starters returned to the lineup Sunday, as they have now played two games in four days. Manager Landon Donovan started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Austin Guerrero in goal. The birthday man Corey Hertzog started at forward, and Tumi Moshobane earned another start at midfielder.
Moshobane scored two goals in his last three matches and both turned out to be crucial.
The Loyal started out hot in the first half. Every opportunity went their way and they certainly took advantage of it. Just nine minutes in, Hertzog just simply stole the ball from the LA defender around midfield and chipped the goalkeeper from about 40 yards away.
WHAT A GIFT FROM THE BIRTHDAY BOY @Hertzog_Corey! 🥳#LAvSD | @SanDiegoLoyal pic.twitter.com/AU9jAe1hEi
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) August 2, 2021
No better way to celebrate your birthday than with a goal. Although, most would say they would prefer to win over a scoring a goal. Nonetheless, the Loyal had the early advantage and kept it going just shortly after.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done that from that far out,” Hertzog said. “It was a lucky pass I got before sending it and the keeper was out and I was able to take advantage of that.”
In the 23rd minute, Moshobane continued his great run with his third goal in four matches. The midfielder finally scored on a goal other than a header, to give there Loyal a 2-0 advantage.
Well it’s not a header, but thank you to everyone who rubbed @Tumi_Scara10‘s head for good luck before the match! 😅#LAvSD pic.twitter.com/gmudFQVXvI
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) August 2, 2021
What happened in the 40th minute might be the play of the match for the Loyal. Defender Joshua Yaro moved over to replace Guerrero on the line to save a shot, as Guerrero got caught away from the net.
.@JoshYaro holding it DOWN! 😤#LAvSD | 0-2 pic.twitter.com/WyeQZCUf0X
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) August 2, 2021
That would have changed the momentum completely as LA played all half aggressively, despite the deficit. LA created some chances late in the half, but couldn’t convert. San Diego went into the locker room up 2-0.
The second half finished scoreless, but San Diego continued to control possession and forced LA to play their style the rest of the match. The tensions started to rise late. San Diego tried to slow the game down — as they should with a two-goal advantage. Most of the players are banged up, and credit to the Loyal players for winning in the third match in nine days.
“It was a big game and we wanted the three points and early goals,” Hertzog said. “We did it and got the shut out. We couldn’t have asked for more than that.”
The Loyal will get a break from divisional play as they host Real Monarchs SLC next Saturday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. Salt Lake City is currently in last place in the Mountain Division with a (3-9-4) record and 13 points.
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Additional News and Notes
- Midfielder Collin Martin (lower body) and defender Grant Stoneman (upper body) were unavailable in Sunday’s matchup due to injuries.
- Defender Elijah Martin left the game with an injury in the 28th minute. Defender Sal Zizzo would replace him.
- Right around the 90th minute, defender Jack Metcalf was also removed from the match with what looked to be a serious shoulder injury. Defender Jordan Chavez would replace him.
- Tumi Moshobane now has four goals on the season, equal with Jack Blake.
- Both squads finished with 13 shots apiece, with six on target.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.