The Galaxy and the Fourth of the July are one of Major League Soccer’s greatest traditions.
For the 29th consecutive season, the Galaxy are playing on the holiday. After competing the past two years against crosstown rival LAFC before the fireworks at the Rose Bowl, the club is back home Friday night at Dignity Health Sports Park, hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps and kicking off a stretch of three consecutive home games in a busy month of July.
“We all know how the season’s going and how important these three games are,” defender Mauricio Cuevas said. “We’re just trying to take it one game at a time. All eyes are focused on Vancouver and that’s the only focus right now.
“We’re just trying to prepare and be prepared for the next game, that’s all we can do.”
The Galaxy (1-13-6, nine points) are coming off of a 1-1 draw Saturday in the latest edition of the California Clasico against San Jose. The progress has been slow, but the Galaxy have secured at least a point in three of their last four games (1-0-2). The Galaxy are 17 points behind the ninth-playoff spot in the Western Conference.
After Friday, the Galaxy will host D.C. United on July 12 and Austin FC on July 16. A trip to LAFC follows three days later. The only trip out of the state for the month is in Houston against the Dynamo on July 25. After that game, the Galaxy will go into Leagues Cup, with their first three games at home.
“I think we have to look at every game as of the utmost importance,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “I look at the last eight games, since the New York game (a 7-0 loss May 10), five of those were on the road. I feel like we squandered nine points in those games. I think we should have taken 15 (points) because we were either in leading positions in the last minutes of the game or in the event of the other night, we had eight big chances that we don’t take and I feel like we’ve got to figure out as a group and understand, as a group, to take the points that we deserve on the night.
“I really feel like we’ve allowed ourselves, for different reasons and situations, to squander some points. Yes, it’s about our performances, but it’s also about finishing the key moments of the game, defending the key moments of the game and taking the points and result that we deserve.”
The first meeting against the Whitecaps (11-3-5, 38 points) was on March 2 in the second game of the season. Vancouver won 2-1. The Whitecaps enter the game in second place in the Western Conference.
Player salary update
The first update of the player salaries, released by the MLS Players Association, shows the Galaxy with four players making more than $1 million. Riqui Puig is the highest-paid player on the team with a base salary of $5,125,000. Joseph Paintsil is second at $3.136 million.
Gabriel Pec ($1.68 million) and Diego Fagundez ($1.25 million) are third and fourth, respectively.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS at GALAXY
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park
How to watch: Apple TV+, Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)
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