LA Galaxy Media Conference

Greg Vanney

Press Conference

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Los Angeles, California, USA


LA Galaxy 3, Colorado Rapids 2

Q. This is one of those games where like I said, tale of two halves and also the first half was kind of like a tale of the first half as well. Looked to dominate a lot, but they still went in 3-2. How did you see the game, first half, second half?

GREG VANNEY: I really thought we had a really good first half, one of our better halves of the season. Super dynamic getting behind. Even their presses we were breaking and getting on the other side.

You know, I think there was a couple more goals into it. One, I don't understand how you -- the play is going forward, so that's the epitome of an advantage. If the play is going forward, it's one thing.

And you can hold the whistle for as long as you want and bring it back if the play stops going forward. For me this is an unforgivable moment really. This is the definition of an advantage.

There are other moments where advantages aren't the given. This is in the attacking zone, this is going forward. See it out and see what happens. And if it breaks down on the next ball then you can still bring it back if you want.

So that counts for one goal in the early part of the game. I think we then go on to create three more. I think Joe had one that just escaped him; went through the keeper's legs. So maybe -- or right by his foot, something. It seemed like the timing just broke. We had one or two maybe other decent looks. Maybe not great, but decent looks.

The first goal was exactly what we knew they were trying to do: get around the outside, run through the lines, play it in behind. We just did not manage it well. That was our -- what I thought was our one big mistake in the first half.

I thought the penalty was also not a penalty. I felt like the guy just ran in mand because he -- there was nothing there he went to the ground and got a call. I have to watch it back. Initially, what I saw was not something -- he couldn't get to the ball. There was nothing there. Just didn't see a penalty.

So you could potentially go in 3-1 or maybe 4-1, 3-1, whatever. First goal was very early. Emotionally that's tough for the guys, you know, to feel like you deserve more and to be ahead more and to have this team right on your back still at 3-2.

I think we came out in the second half and I think what we talked about was trying to replicate the first half knowing they were going to have to adjust because they had nothing really in the first half other than a couple -- that play they wrapped it around behind us.

They switched how they were getting their forward-- they were getting their right back higher in the second half; the first half it was the left back higher, and then getting them both high. We were getting pinned back a little bit. We weren't able to get pressure on the ball the same way.

You are also managing a little bit of a one-goal lead. I thought the other part in the second half was we were really rushing our tackles, and that meant we were turning the ball over faster instead of establishing ourselves. We had established in the first half that we could play, and the second half I thought we were really in a rush to try to go get the next goal, sometimes and then we conceded the ball back and ended up separated again and then back into a lower block.

So the guys managed the game wall. Again, one of those that the emotions are kind of up and down a little bit through it. You got to get through it. So really pleased with the first half. Second half I was pleased with the grind and effort and getting it done and across the line.

You see around the league, like the teams at the top right now, there is no guarantees right now anywhere. I think everybody has that summer -- a little bit of that summer tired fatigue. We are looking in front of us to a tournament that's right in front of us, and I think just to maintain concentration and see this game out was really important and really big.

Q. And then if you look to the west, top of the west. What does that mean to this group with nine games to go? You're the team that teams are chasing now.

GREG VANNEY: Yeah, I think that we keep competing and bouncing back. You know, we have a lot four games this year and every time we lose we bounce right back and we break -- don't allow ourselves to get into a string. We break, we jump back in, and get the results.

I think that's important. Shows resiliency. I thought tonight we did a lot of things that we didn't do in Dallas; we did them tonight, which was a good response to that.

I'm happy. I think the guys are fighting for everything, and, yeah we keep going. We have one more this week that's really important. As we said, if we can get the job done on Saturday we go into the break on top of the west, and that's the goal for this week.

Then we come back it's eight games to find your rhythm, form, everything you need to see yourself into the best playoff position possible and set your self up form-wise to give yourself a shot in ultimately the tournament at the end, right?

The group has been locked in. When we have had a tough game. We've bounced right back and answered the bell. Happy with this group.

We're learning some things, by the way, about ourselves. We've seen some of the things that have not looked good. For example in Dallas, our replication of some other things we've seen in the games that we haven't.

I think it's led to us -- and we had a little discussion this week on how we want to adjust some things as we continue to learn about ourselves and some of the different circumstances or situations or conditions we're playing in.

I'm not going to get into detail, but that's part of what a season is about, is learning about yourself for when you get to that final stage, you have some answers to some things that maybe you weren't sure about totally before.

No, I'm not going to tell you. Not that I have big secrets. It's just understanding our team and maybe some of the things that might be good for our team as we move into the latter stage the season.

Q. A little formation change early, moving Joseph up into the nine, and maybe more of a real nine than a false nine there. Diego out. What did you see from that? Did you like that better than against Dallas?

GREG VANNEY: I did. You know, I did. It's a different circumstance because you play Dallas and they end up a little bit lower, whereas you know Colorado is going to come at you and they're going to try to step, which gives Joe the space to run and he's not dealing with just density and big center backs. He's got space to open the legs and to run.

So I felt look, this is a game that really made sense for him, and that if they wanted to step this way he's going this way and Gabe is going that way and Riqui is going to find those guys.

So I felt like this was a good chance to get him in the nine, and that he would make -- he have his moments, and he certainly did. I think Diego has always given us a very solid performance whether he's played in the pivot position or today out wide. He just understands the functions and the things we looking for in the position.

He and had another solid night. Gabe, solid night. Riqui was active. He is always important against teams that try to press us because he can wiggle out of things and get things moving quickly, and when you are on the other side of that pressure you have lots of things opening up.

Mauricio had a great game, especially in the first half, just the relationship and the combination of kind of Mauricio, Gabe, Joe being a little closer to them and Riqui being there.

I felt like the movement were really smart and really good and really opened 'em up a few times. I thought another good game for him. It was good for him. It was good for him to get in my opinion, in his positions to get 75, 80 minutes of defending as well, which is something we want to -- that's probably the area of growth I want him to keep working through as much as possible.

Gave Micki a shot on the left because we knew with John it's going to be difficult to go three games this week. We knew we were going to have to adapt a little bit. Micki gave us a great shift on the left. Yeah, just pleased with everybody's effort and what they did tonight.

Q. Speaking specifically about Mauricio and what he does, just his development in what seems like a short amount of time. Maybe not surprising to you, but watching seems to have really taken a step forward. What have you seen from him?

GREG VANNEY: He's a wonderful attacking player specifically. I think that's really his strength. His capacity to get up and down the line. The quality of his service is really good. He hits a very crisp ball across the back line and it's hard for defenders to deal with.

I think he's still young so doesn't necessarily always have the thing that sometimes you as you get older hold you back a little bit from making runs. He's going. When he he's going and today Micki was helping to cover him a little bit, that creates a lot of problems for the opposition as well.

His capacity to play off the line and just move with the ball is I think -- are all great qualities and I think he gets more confident and certain and tactically getting better.

For him it's really defensive repetition at this level and seeing different types of wingers. Seeing an overload like he had in the first half where he has Vines coming around him and he has Lewis coming inside of him and having to manage that situation, how communicate with Gabe.

Those things are going to help him as he gets more repetition in that, but obviously he's got a lot of up side and really suits a lot of things we're trying to do. I think he just keeps growing. Great mentality. Every day in training he works and works and works. That's why he's improving. It's really him, you know.

Q. This is maybe more on a different note. Today we got to see the team wear the retrograde kits.

GREG VANNEY: They looked really good, right? Throwback for me.

Q. I was going ask is you that. In the first club's ever game you wore a jersey that was inspired by the design. Does invoke any feelings in you now?

GREG VANNEY: Yeah, I just I don't know if invokes feelings. I like it. I mean, back then when I saw it, like this is a strange jersey, because it was so different than anywhere you had seen in the world.

But because of the history and being more in those early '96 years, just to see it out there again in a little bit more upgraded version -- the ones back then, I don't know if you guys know how heavy those things were back then. The Budweiser patch was like three pounds on the back.

These are a little bit more performance friendly. They look good. I liked them out there. I know they probably won't be out all that often, but it was nice to see the old days kind of out there again.

And I thought we played well in them, especially in the first half. We did them justice.

Q. It's been widely record that the Galaxy and Marco Reus are courting each other. I know you can't comment. How does a player like him, his profile help this team out?

GREG VANNEY: You know, anyone that we hopefully add in the summer window is just somebody that can continue to make the team better. You know, a player of his profile gives you experience, gives you quality, gives you versatility also. You know, a winning mentality, a championship mentality. Those types of things are always good for teams.

But we're trying to continue to make the team with anything that we do, make the team better to raise the level, to get deeper, to get all those things that you kind of need as you go down the tail end and try to make a run at an MLS Cup.

You try to use the summer window the best way possible to keep improving the team. You can get more done in the summer window than the winter window. It is always a question in the summer what your resources are like once you get there.

So that's always as you a little bit of the summer challenge. The team is doing well, and usually doing well because you used some of your resources already, right?

We'll see what gets done, but I know the goal with the guys upstairs is just to try did get more assets to the team to help this team continue to improve and make a push.

Q. (No microphone.)

GREG VANNEY: Probably back on the training field as we get a little closer to the start of the League's Cup. Yeah, so I don't know that. We'll see if he's ready for those games. But he'll be back on the training field and working, return to play stuff. We'll see. Not going to rush him.

We'll, yeah, take the right steps. That's probably when we'll see him on the training field again.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

GREG VANNEY: Yeah, he's healing. It's not a significant strain. It's one of those that -- again, it's long enough to put you out of this stretch of things and also to make sure that you take the right steps to get back, but it's not -- nothing significant. I think he's moving in the right direction for sure, so...

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