Reus vs. Giroud: LA Galaxy, LAFC in a crowded El Trafico

True to its Hollywood nature, the Los Angeles Derby has attracted a huge crowd in its short existence, with a number of celebrities contributing to the cause.

Zlatan Ibrahimović set the tone for the inaugural edition on March 31, 2018, scoring twice off the bench on his Galaxy debut to secure a wild 4-3 win that made headlines around the world. The likes of Carlos Vela, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Jonathan dos Santos, Denis Bouanga, Diego Rossi and Cristian Arango also lit up the proceedings, along with a litany of supporting players who found inspiration in the brighter spotlight he provided.

The stylistic clash between the sides adds to the contrast. The Galaxy are resolute in their identity on the ball – Vanney spoke of shouldering the “burden of possession” on Thursday – weaving their own version of tiki-taka with Riqui Puig’s effervescent orchestration. The Black & Gold, on the other hand, tend to be more pragmatic: organised and ruthlessly penetrating on the counter-attack, epitomised by Bouanga’s threat in open spaces.

It has helped LAFC win six of El Traficos’ last eight matches, including their first two in 2024, with the first points coming from corner kicks in both matches to help the team secure a 2-1 victory.

“LAFC is really compact. They played with five defenders and it’s difficult for us because we have to attack with more players,” Puig said. “But I think we’re on a different page. We have the ball and if we don’t make mistakes, which I think LAFC is looking for, we can get the three points.”

Vanney says he won’t be conservative this time, other than emphasizing rest defense. His Gs seem to be programmed to be proactive.

“How we lose the ball, where we lose it, the reactions when we lose it, is key, just because of the strength, the speed and the quality they have in transition,” the coach said. “If you look at the two teams they’ve lost to in the last, never mind since May, Columbus and Houston, both are teams that are good – very good – in possession, they want the ball. They’re possession-oriented teams. They’ve just been very mature in how they’ve managed their possession, they’ve not taken risks in bad positions, they’ve kept a good counterattack and good positions to manage transitions.”

Or as Reus said: “We have to be not anxious, but careful about making stupid mistakes when we have the ball.”