The Galaxy entered September in their deepest slump of the season, one that left them closer to last place in the MLS standings than they were to first. So on Saturday they started four players who weren’t on the roster two months ago — including one who wasn’t even in the country two weeks ago.
And it worked, with Kyogo Furuhashi setting up the first goal, Robert Taylor scoring the second and midfielder Sergi Roberto shutting down the New England attack for 56 minutes, lifting the new-look Galaxy to a 2-1 victory over the Revolution at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The win, just their second in 10 games, breathed new life into the Galaxy’s fading playoff hopes, moving them to within a point of the postseason, pending the results of Saturday’s late MLS matches. But whether the cavalry is arriving too late to save a season with just 10 games left remains to be seen.
With the Galaxy (7-9-8) in danger of missing the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons, general manager Will Kuntz began remaking the roster this summer. And the overhaul isn’t done, with Argentine midfielder Pablo Ruiz joining the team Thursday — he made his Galaxy debut in the second half Saturday — while the debut of Brazilian defender Lucas Calegari has been delayed by visa paperwork.
Either way, Saturday’s match was the closest thing to a must-win test the Galaxy have faced, and they passed with Marco Reus putting them in front to stay in the 11th minute, scoring his fifth goal of the season on a penalty kick.
The goal came after Furuhashi got loose on a breakaway up the middle of the pitch, only to be felled by New England’s Will Sands in the center of the box, leaving referee Drew Fischer with an easy penalty call. And Reus, the only starter Saturday who also played in the Galaxy’s last MLS Cup win 21 months ago, made it count, chipping a shot into the center of the net for his second penalty-kick goal of the season.
Taylor, who joined the team from Austin in mid-July — a week before Furuhashi came over from England’s Birmingham City — doubled the lead in the 33rd minute. He took a pass from Hirving Lozano in the center of the box and drilling a right-footed shot past New England keeper Matt Turner for his first Galaxy goal.
For Lozano, acquired from San Diego on loan less than a month ago, the assist was his first with his new team.
The Galaxy lost the statistical battle everywhere but the scoreboard, getting outshot 24-8. But goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski made the two goals stand up, making six saves before giving up New England’s only goal on Carles Gil’s penalty kick six minutes into second-half stoppage time.
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