Galaxy settle for draw with Dynamo before World Cup break

CARSON — Earlier this season, a draw seemed like a positive step for the Galaxy.

Now, as the club has found form and consistency, climbing back into the Western Conference playoff race, draws, especially at home, are sometimes painful to take.

Case in point was Saturday night.

In the final game before the six-week MLS break for the FIFA World Cup, the Galaxy (5-5-5, 20 points) scored first, had the sellout crowd of 23,638 wanting more, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo at Dignity Health Sports Park.

“I think when you aggregate the best chances in the game, I thought we had more of them,†Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “I do think in the first half and specifically the first 30 minutes or so, we were good on the ball as we've been all year. It was disappointing to give up a goal in that fashion.

“But I think we could have got more out of the game.â€

The draw sends the Galaxy (5-5-5, 20 points) into the break having earned at least a point in seven of their last eight games, but leaves them wanting more.

Joseph Paintsil gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute, scoring after the goal was initially ruled offside before referee Lorenzo Hernandez overturned the call following a video review. The Galaxy nearly doubled the lead moments later, but Marco Reus could not steer a point-blank shot on goal.

Houston answered in the 41st minute on Guilherme's long-distance blast from outside the 18-yard box. It was the only legitimate threat against the Galaxy defense in the first half.

With the game tied at 1-1, the Galaxy came out in the second half, not as sharp on the attack as they were in the first half. That allowed the Dynamo to open the game up into a more transitional pace.

In the 74th minute, Houston nearly took the lead on Lawrence Ennali's shot from 20 yards out that just missed curling inside the left post.

The Galaxy spent the second half trying to break down a deep-sitting Houston side, but former Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond kept them out with five saves after halftime. Bond, who played for the Galaxy from 2021 to 2024, helped Houston leave with a draw.

“I think we'll feel like early, we left some points on the table in a couple of the early games for sure,†Vanney said. “I think we'll look back and we'll like some of (how we played) against the league leaders, we did well again some of those. The teams that were lower in the table, we gave up points in some of those places, that's something that we've got to clean up and win the game that we supposedly should win.

“But that's MLS. I feel like every game in MLS is difficult and every team can beat anybody on any given day, but for us, I think that's something that we did.

“We had a really, really busy first half of the season. We've had some big injuries to the big guys, who missed sections of the season, including now. How we've played over the last 6-8 games, I'm pleased with it because a lot of those games have been on the road and we've showed a different kind of resilience, both with and without the ball and I think we showed a different intensity. I think we've found a formula that we can really build on with this group and a connection that we can bring back for the second half of the season and push.â€

Galaxy head off into the break in a better spot than earlier this season. The draw moves them to ninth place in the Western Conference.

The team will get three weeks off and then report back for the final three weeks, heading into their July 17 return against LAFC. There will be 19 regular season games remaining.

The game ends a hectic start to the season for the Galaxy. Their first game was back on Feb. 19 in the first round of CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the regular season starting Feb. 22. The road trips have taken them to Jamaica and Panama.

“I would say it's been a lot of ups and downs,†defender Jakob Glesnes said. “To be honest, we wanted to have more points at home than we have so far. This should be our fort and we have lost a little bit too many points here so far, but the good thing is that we're just halfway through (the season).â€

There is also a question of what the Galaxy will look like when they do return. The transfer window opens July 13, just four days before their return.