The Galaxy missed two goals on Saturday due to video review and an injury to its starting goaltender for a disappointing 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps, denying the team a three-game winless streak for the first time since 2009.
The Whitecaps’ goal came in the 14th minute when defender Tristan Blackmon headed in a Julian Greusel free kick past Galaxy keeper Jonathan Bond. After a brief review, the goal remained.
The Galaxy (0-1-2) matched that in first-half stoppage time when Vancouver keeper Yohi Takaoka failed to recover a twisted left foot chip from Rahim Edwards, instead pushing it over the legs of Galaxy defender Kelvin Leerdam. , who nudged. The ball went into the net for his first goal since September 2020.
In between Bonds, who has missed just three regular-season games in his two-plus seasons with the Galaxy, was sidelined after injuring his left shoulder on a run by Edwards and Vancouver forward Christian Dejome. Bond’s arm was in a sling after the game.
The Galaxy, who trailed and outplayed Whitecaps (0-2-2), lost two clear goals to video review, one in the first half on an offside call and another in the second half for a handball that was borderline. at best.
Before the game, a group of 300 fans gathered outside the main gate of the stadium to protest the re-hiring of team president Chris Klein. Klein, the Galaxy’s chief executive since 2013, signed a multi-year extension this winter, despite the fact the team has had a losing record since 2016 and eight seasons since its last appearance in the MLS Cup finals. , the longest drought in franchise history.
Members of the team’s four main supporter groups have pledged not to attend a game until changes are made to the front office, and Saturday’s announced crowd of 23,112 was the smallest for a Galaxy home opener since 2013. Wasn’t affected by COVID-19. However, ticket holders who boycotted many season games were included in attendance anyway because MLS uses distributed tickets rather than turnstile counts in its crowd statistics.