March 11 – Road matches are tough at the best of times in the Concacaf region as hostile environments and climates are par for the course, however few teams bargain for US customs and immigration handicapping teams.
This was the plight for Jamaican club, Mount Pleasant, as 10 first-team players were denied visas for the 1st leg of their Champions Cup encounter with the LA Galaxy, with the final 3-0 result being predictable, and yet taking time to get there.
Just six minutes into the contest, after a fast start from the home side, Brazilian striker Gabriel Pec opened up the scoring with a fine left-footed shot that was no match for Tafari Chambers in the visitors’ goal. For the first time this season, a smile played on the face of Galaxy boss Greg Vanney.
It should’ve been two and three in short order, but Pec’s fellow Brazilian striker, João Klauss, had left his shooting boots back in the locker room as presentable chances went begging, and they were almost punished when Alex Marshall let fly from the top of the box, testing JT Marcinkowski for the first time in the contest. Disappointingly for the away team, it had taken 32 minutes for that first effort.
The Galaxy responded to the threat of having their goal attacked with more possession, more chances, and more failure in front of the goal with Klauss, once again being the main offender.
As Reon Antonio Radix blew the half-time whistle, there was no doubt who was the happier coach, and it was Theodore Whitmore, as his depleted squad headed to the locker room only a goal down.
Knowing the Mount Pleasant squad was threadbare, Vanney instructed his players to put their foot firmly on the accelerator, and his team answered with attempt after attempt.
First, Klauss, then Lucas Sanabria, then Pec with two attempts, followed by another effort by Klauss that peppered the Mount Pleasant goal. Chambers was inspired though and through, luck, judgement, and skill kept his club in the tie.
Whitmore’s team was running on fumes. It was men against boys as the academy kids dug in and relied on youthful enthusiasm against the hardened professionalism of the Galaxy.
In the 83rd minute, Vanney’s men finally had their second when Harbor Tarczynski-Miller found the back of the net with a tidy finish, but VAR intervened and spotted a handball from Klauss, who was having a night to forget.
Still, the Galaxy pushed, and Pec, who’d been by far the best player on the pitch, would have the last say. Firstly, the Brazilian finished brilliantly from Miki Yamane, and then completed a well-deserved hat trick after good work from Klauss, who finally registered a positive goal involvement after a night of frustration.
The final score of 3-0 barely reflected the Galaxy’s dominance that saw possession 75/25, and shots, a barely believable 31 to 6, meaning the home team had an attempt on goal every three minutes.
The Galaxy will head to Jamaica for the 2nd leg in a commanding position, but the real question to ask is whether ICE helped in proceedings. The Americans played against a second-string team. How they fare in the bear-pit of Kingston next week will answer the many questions critics have of Vanney’s team.
1st Leg: LA Galaxy 3 – 0 Mount Pleasant