5 Takeaways LAFC's 4-3 Loss To The Galaxy

That was a punch to the gut.

A raucous atmosphere at StubHub kicked off with Carlos Vela leading LAFC out to an early lead, only to have four unanswered goals send the Club to its first defeat. Here's a look at the takeaways from the first LAFC-Galaxy rivalry match:

What A Start

LAFC began the match on the front foot, pressing high and making life miserable for the Galaxy defenders. Vela found pockets of space and was free to distribute at his leisure. All the signs pointed to another road performance like the one against Real Salt Lake. 

Get Out And Run

Find me a team that is more dangerous on the counterattack in MLS than LAFC. I'll wait. 

When Vela et al. get out and running on the break they are quick, incisive, and punishing. Two of LAFC's three goals came on the break, and they could have had even more.

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

A 3-0 lead 48 minutes in is generally a recipe for success. But as the Galaxy adjusted to a more direct strategy, LAFC got sucked into the same. 

After the match, multiple LAFC players commented that they got away from their game. Too many speculative balls forward gave the bigger, more physical Galaxy team a lifeline. 

Look at the amount of unsuccessful long balls by LAFC in the second half. That's the antithesis of what worked well in the first half. When LAFC is out and running, they let their possessing of the ball be their defense. But when they have to defend for long stretches without relief, this is the result.

If You Let Zlatan, He Will

You can say a lot about Zlatan, but he's never boring.

His first goal was spectacular. Few players in the world have that kind of strike in their repertoire. And the second was the dagger.

Is he the sole reason LAFC eventually fell? No, but many won't let the facts ruin a good story. Expect people to run with this one.

Vela's Brace

It'll be no consolation to LAFC and its Supporters, but Vela had two top class goals of his own. 

When LAFC were running away with the match, it seemed Vela's magic would be the story. Zlatan rained on that party.