Column: Landon Donovan sees big value in SD Loyal’s 1-0 loss to MLS club LA Galaxy
San Diego Loyal made it a game, despite large economic gulf between the Southern California soccer clubs
Landon Donovan said San Diego Loyal’s efforts in a 1-0 loss Tuesday night made him “really proud” and no doubt reaped worthy lessons.
Donovan’s rationale was grounded in harsh reality: the opponent was a Major League Soccer club.
“The guy who scored a goal for them is worth millions and millions of dollars (and) earns …lots more money than our entire roster,” said Donovan, SD Loyal’s coach and top soccer executive.
What stood out most in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match, played in Carson, was this:
Soccer’s easier for LA Galaxy, who are third in the top U.S. men’s league’s Western Conference, than for SD Loyal, the Western Conference leader in USL Championship, the country’s No. 2 men’s league.
“Between the teams there was not a ton of difference,” said Donovan, the Galaxy’s all-time leading scorer, “but you just have higher quality players (in MLS), higher valued players that are just, in the end, better players, can make those plays.”
Wealthy leagues can show the money to goal-scorers and goal-creators who are able to conquer soccer’s innate resistance to offense.
“That happens all over the world in soccer,” said Donovan, who amassed 57 goals for the U.S. national team. “That’s not anything we didn’t know coming into the game. But, it doesn’t mean you can’t win. And so, that’s not an excuse. That’s just the reality. Our guys still did a good job trying to get something out of the match.”
The Galaxy scored in the 28th minute when Kevin Cabral, a French-born striker and USL alum, nonchalantly put away his own shot after it hit the post.
For its part, the Loyal got off some clean shots. None posed a serious threat.
Their best scoring chance was a crosser to the goal mouth in the 87th minute. Evan Conway, a 6-foot-5 striker, was in position to head it home. He misjudged the ball, which glanced off his shoulder.
Will Conway, only 24, nail the next one? (Also on Tuesday night, the Nebraska-based club Conway helped lead to a title in the USL’s second division last year upset MLS’ Chicago Fire, and Detroit City, like the Loyal a USL Championship club, knocked off the Columbus Crew of MLS.)
San Diego received good performances from several players. Defender Elijah Martin, a former Galaxy prospect, won all his tackles, had nine steals and set up Conway’s big chance. Nick Moon’s speed and drives were disruptive. Goalkeeper Koke Vegas looked comfortable for most of the match (which was played in just one hour, 49 minutes).
“We leave here with confidence,” said Martin, 25.
Donovan, who rated L.A.’s second string the best second string in MLS, said the exposure to the Galaxy improved his team’s ability to “keep possession in tough moments” and “defend deep” for long stretches.
Having weathered nine matches in 31 days, SD Loyal (5-2-1 in USL) won’t play next until April 30 at Tampa. That begins a stretch of five games out of six on the road, the only exception coming May 14.
