Nashville SC couldn’t get a fifth consecutive win, conceding a late penalty kick to draw the LA Galaxy 1-1 at Geodis Park on Saturday afternoon.
The XI
Gary Smith made just two changes to the side that beat Austin FC last week; Aníbal Godoy started in place of Dax McCarty, and Randall Leal slotted back into the lineup after serving his yellow card suspension last week.
On the pitch
As expected, the Galaxy dominated possession. Nashville were limited to chances on the counter attack, which has been their bread and butter for most of the season.
The ‘Yotes benefitted from a ill-advised move from defender Derrick Williams. The center back raised his arm to deflect a Hany Mukhtar free kick, resulting in a penalty which the German converted for his league-leading 22nd goal of the year. In the last nine matches at Geodis Park, he’s scored nine.
The moment of the match came in the second half. After Shaq Moore bundled over Chicharito in the box, Joe Willis stepped up with a strong save to deny the former Mexican international from the spot.
Nashville struggled to create the type of chances they’ve found in recent weeks, and dropped back into a defensive shell as the Galaxy pushed for an equalizer. Nashville have struggled to maintain single-goal leads at home this season, and it didn’t pay off against the Galaxy.
Deep into second half stoppage time, Walker Zimmerman was called for a handball on a shot from Chicharito. Riqui Puig took the ensuing spot kick, and while Willis once again got a hand to the shot, he couldn’t keep it from finding the back of the net.
The big picture
Nashville couldn’t get a fifth consecutive match. The draw puts them in third place in the Western Conference, tied on points with FC Dallas. With Dallas hosting LAFC later tonight and fifth-placed Minnesota playing on the road in Portland, there’s a chance they could still finish the night in third.
They’ll travel to Texas to take on Austin FC next Saturday.
Twitter