Inter Miami Oppo Research: LA Galaxy
Here's who Inter Miami will take on in their second match of the 2024 season, plus Messi doing Messi things - again.
photo credit: LA Galaxy
Welcome to the second edition of “Oppo Research” where I give a quick run down of Inter Miami’s opponent’s during the 2024 season.
This week, the Herons are heading to The Golden State to take on the LA Galaxy.
Now, this will be the 2024 home opener for Los Angelenos, so undoubtedly they’ll come prepared looking to put on a good showing in front of their fans.
Conversely, Inter Miami is coming off a successful opening night where they managed to get past Real Salt Lake 2-0.
Can they keep up this momentum against a revamp Galaxy side?
Manager: Greg Vanney
Projected Formation XI vs. Inter Miami: 4-2-3-1
Last Match: 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls
Incoming Transfers:
Gabriel Pec, 23, winger. Joined the Galaxy over the off-season from Vasco da Gama. Very speedy, quite direct, and is available for selection on the weekend.
Joseph Paintsil, 26, winger. Also, just recently signed with the Galaxy as a Designated Player. Paintsil is a direct winger who isn’t afraid to take on defenders. Like Pec, Paintsil only recently touched down in LA and probably won’t feature this weekend.
Update: Paintsil will be available for selection.
Miki Yamane, 30, right-back. The Japan international joined LA by way of JLeague side Kawasaki Frontale.
Key Players:
Riqui Puig, 24, attacking midfielder. Puig will be a familiar face for Inter Miami’s Big 4. The Galaxy attack runs through the Spaniard, so the Herons must be careful to man-mark him throughout the match.
Dejan Joveljić, 24, forward. The Serbian international will be leading the line for Greg Vanney. Last season, he was quite productive, racking up 9g/a in 19 appearances.
Julián Aude, 20, left-back. Aude signed with the Galaxy in March 2023. This season, the young Argentine was finally given the opportunity to start on the left flank in place of the recently departed Raheem Edwards.
Weaknesses:
Scouring the internet for Galaxy fan opinions, much like Real Salt Lake, supporters feel that the Galaxy is struggling with an aging, slow defense:
“[Ex- Galaxy player Sacha Kljestan] is right about our defense. It was not good last season, and the team didn't do much to change that. The injuries were definitely a factor, but it'll be important to see in the first 2-3 games if the unit has made progress or if we're in for more of the same,” one fan said on X.
Another fan repeated similar sentiments on Reddit after center-back Chris Mavinga was waived:
“I do wonder what our plan is defensively. I don’t see us as having improved in that area. We are another year older and thinner. Unless I’m forgetting about someone.”
Asado, Miami Style:
According to Deporte Total USA, Messi set up this asado after a long week of training.
What a guy.
How do you think Inter Miami will do against the Galaxy? Let’s discuss it in the comments!