LA Galaxy defense raising eyebrows after loss against Portland Timbers

In the 10th minute, Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Sebastian Lletget ruthlessly connected inside the box, but the play materialized at the last second, then in the 18th, Giovani dos Santos sent a lofty corner inside the box that Leonardo powered off the crossbar.

With playoff positioning at stake in the final home game of the regular season, the Galaxy, which had lost just once at home all season, got buried under a barrage of goals from Portland, falling 5-2 at StubHub Center. After falling behind on an impressive Robbie Keane goal, the Timbers went into halftime trailing and looking like they might succumb to the Galaxy’s firepower, but a strong second half saw the Timbers overwhelm the Galaxy, scoring three unanswered goals before closing out the match with two more insurance goals to hand LA its worst home loss of the season.

In the 65th minute, Fanendo Adi found time and space in the Galaxy box to slam a volley into the net, then Adi was tripped by Dan Gargan inside the area and fired a low PK under a outstretched Ricketts to take the lead for the Timbers.

Diego Chara, a menace in midfield and more, increased Portland’s lead to 3-1 in the 74th minute with a header off Rodney Wallace’s cross.

The Portland Timbers play in front of what is arguably the best home atmosphere in Major League Soccer, with Providence Park sold out for all their home matches, and Timbers Supporters creating a loud and often intimidating place to play.

Portland dominated every phase of the final 45 minutes. “We’re quite capable of going in there and getting three points; it’s not an easy place to go to”.

“I said we are coming to win”. But all that went out the window when Portland scored five times in the final 25 minutes, the most home goals the Galaxy has allowed in an entire game since September 2009.

The Timbers began the second half with real vigor.

Adi turned with the ball against little opposition, then powered it into the net’s ceiling, and it was 1-1.

But the game comes amid rumors that recent import Steven Gerrard may cut his stay in Los Angeles short, making a return to Liverpool, the English Premier League Club that he captained, and where he played from the start of his youth career in 1987 until leaving for the Galaxy after the 2014-2015 English season. He scored four in three meetings with LA this year. The resulting penalty, low to the goalkeeper’s left, slid under the body of Rickets and gave the away side a deserved lead. Nagbe torched USA worldwide defender Omar Gonzalez to control the ball. If you look at individual battles, their eleven against our eleven; they just thoroughly dominated us in a physical nature I’d say.

Nagbe’s goal moments later appeared to settle things, and when Urruti struck five minutes later, there were no doubts. If they win next Sunday at Sporting Kansas City, they will finish second in the West. Portland will play host to Colorado at 4 p.m. Sunday.