Galaxy again own bragging rights with U.S. Open Cup win over LAFC

Galaxy coach Greg Vanney remembers a time when his team’s home was a fortress. Lately, however, Dignity Health Sports Park has been about as impenetrable as a bowl of chicken soup.

But that all changes when LAFC makes the short drive down the Harbor Freeway. For the Galaxy’s neighborhood rivals, the stadium is nothing short of a house of horrors — as it was again Wednesday when Kévin Cabral and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández scored goals seven minutes apart early in the second half, giving the Galaxy a 3-1 win that eliminated LAFC from the U.S. Open Cup.

With the win the Galaxy go on to face the Sacramento Republic in the tournament quarterfinals next month. The Galaxy have made it past the U.S. Open quarterfinals just once since 2006.

Just as important, however, is the fact the win ended a two-game winless streak at home and was the team’s first victory at Dignity Health Sports Park in a month. The Galaxy were booed off the field at the end of their last two home matches, which they lost by combined 6-1.

There were no boos Wednesday on a night in which the Galaxy dominated from the start — and grew stronger as the game went on. LAFC may have the second-most regular-season victories in MLS since entering the league in 2018, but it hasn’t won in eight tries in Carson.

The loss Wednesday was just the second in 10 U.S. Open Cup games for LAFC, which reached the quarterfinals in its previous two appearances.

The Galaxy, who wore black armbands in tribute to the victims of Tuesday’s deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, scored both their goals on breakaways.

The first began with a long throw from in front of the goal by Galaxy keeper Jonathan Klinsmann.

The ball eventually found its way to Samuel Grandsir sprinting up the left wing and he sent a long, bending cross into the box for a sliding Cabral, who redirected it in.

The goal was Cabral’s second this year, both in U.S. Open Cup matches.

The second scoring sequence began with the Galaxy defending a corner kick deep in their end. Cabral came away with the ball this time and sent it forward for Grandsir, who sped up the center of the field before feeding Hernández for the goal.

The Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic and LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead exchanged goals in the final 10 minutes to account for the final score.

Joveljic’s came in the 81st minute when he deflected in a cross from former LAFC defender Raheem Edwards. Cabral had a hand in that one, too, creating space by flicking a back-heel pass to Edward on the left side of the box. Hollingshead answered four minutes later, heading in a cross from José Cifuentes.

That was LAFC’s only shot on target in the game.

The game was chippy most of the night, but it briefly reached full boil late in the first half when Hernández undercut Diego Palacios going for a 50-50 ball, sending the LAFC player tumbling hard to the turf. Hernández continued upfield where he was struck from behind in the head by LAFC’s Jesús David Murillo in what appeared to be retaliation.

Hernández and Palacios, who landed awkwardly on his neck, stayed down
for several minutes and their teammates engaged in
a lot of pushing and shoving before order was restored.

Hernández and LAFC’s Kellyn Acosta were given yellow cards while Palacios was sent into the locker room and the MLS’ concussion protocol, the second LAFC player to leave with an injury in the first half. Captain Carlos Vela left in the 20th minute with what the team called a left quadriceps injury.

The pushing and shoving resumed after the final whistle, with angry players squaring off just outside the south penalty area.

Although LAFC remains atop the MLS table — standings that won’t be affected by Wednesday’s Open Cup game — the team has lost three of its last four. The three goals it allowed to the Galaxy were the most it has given up this season.