Los Angeles, Calif. -- Two first-half goals set the LA Galaxy up for a 2-1 home win over the New England Revolution on Saturday, September 5th.
Striker Kyōgo Furuhashi was a handful throughout, and it was his good play that won the ball in the New England defensive third. The recent arrival to LA bore down on goal and was brought down for the penalty for the Galaxy's first real chance of the game.
Despite not scoring, the former Japan international is becoming dangerous for the opposition in other ways.
"Yeah, I think you know with Kyōgo, he makes some really, really interesting runs, and the question for us is within our possessions and in our passes or in our transitions is whether we have the capacity to see forward and see those runs and spring him into some of those situations," LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney said of Furuhashi.
"We saw, I thought, a little bit more of that tonight."
Marco Reus would step up and calmly dispatch the penalty for the 1-0 Galaxy lead on 11 minutes.
Reus would be involved again for the second Galaxy goal.
The former Dortmund man would find Hirving "Chucky" Lozano on the left wing in transition. Lozano would take his man to the left side of the box and then find winger Robert Taylor , who had been given the start over DP Joseph Paintsil .
Taylor rewarded Vanney's faith in starting him by scoring the Galaxy's second in the 33rd minute with a composed finish.
For Taylor, one of the more under-the-radar signings, scoring his first goal since July 2025 was emotional.
"Oh yeah, it's been a while, but after difficult stuff personally this year, going injured and been struggling with that, it meant a lot to get my first goal this year," the match-winner confessed.
"And for the club, I'm really grateful for Galaxy for taking, like, giving me the opportunity, like I said earlier, to be myself on the field. So I'm really grateful for that, and then really happy to score, obviously."
Although the Revs would get a late goal through Carlos Gil to ruin Galaxy Goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski 's shutout, the Galaxy stopper made several key stops and ended the match with six saves in a man-of-the-match performance. Between Marcinkowski's saves and the post saving the Galaxy on three occasions, the hosts won all three points for just the second time since returning from the World Cup.
For Vanney, who started Sergi Roberto , Taylor, Lozano, and Kyōgo together for the first time, the pieces are starting to fall into place.
With only 10 matches left, the way these players settle together will determine their postseason lives. The Galaxy boss rejects the idea that the dwindling fixture list might see the Galaxy miss the playoffs for the fourth time in the past six years.
"We still have 10 to go," Vanney expressed defiantly.
"I think it's really tight in the West. I haven't looked at the table tonight, but I know it's tight in the West, and you just got to get a little bit on a run."
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus (18) takes a corner kick during the Galaxy's 2-1 home win, against the New England Revolution on Saturday September 5th, 2026 in Carson, Calif.
John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus (18) takes a corner kick during the Galaxy's 2-1 home win, against the New England Revolution on Saturday September 5th, 2026 in Carson, Calif.
Roberto agreed with his new coach. The Catalan spoke of the talent the team already has as they find comfort playing together.
"I think we already are very good together. For sure, we still need to work more and to know ourselves better, how to play the moves of the other player to understand each other inside of the pitch, but the most important is all the group is very good, like good people, hard workers, and this is very important," Roberto stated optimistically.
"And now we just need to keep working on the pitch and keep winning like today."
The LA Galaxy will travel to Vancouver to face the Whitecaps on Wednesday, September 9th.
