LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney believes that the “pressure of expectation” is on 2022 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners LAFC in Thursday’s Western Conference playoff game.
The game at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium will be just the second time that the crosstown rivals have met in an MLS Cup playoff match, the first of which LAFC won in a dramatic 5-3 victory in 2019.
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“Winning in the [regular] season is a little bit different than winning in a knockout tournament,” Vanney, who won a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup double in 2017 with Toronto FC, said on Wednesday. “That comes with the pressure of expectation.
“There can be more pressure, and again, the circumstances to winning knockout games aren’t always the same as winning regular season games. We’ll see, it’s for us to put the pressure on them tomorrow and see if they can handle it.”
Vanney said he believes this Galaxy side is superior to the squad that was defeated in 2019, even without former star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was with the team from 2018-19.
“This is a better team than that one. It’s not for me to really say, but I’ll say it. We have certainly more going for us than that group,” Vanney said. “It’ll make for a really exciting game tomorrow. It’s two teams that can really attack, two teams who can be stingy defensively, but can attack and hurt you at any moment.”
Mexico striker Javier Hernandez has since taken Ibrahimovic’s place in the Galaxy frontline, which means the upcoming playoff edition of El Trafico will be the first time that he plays against countryman and LAFC DP Carlos Vela in an MLS postseason game.
“For sure, 100%,” Hernandez said when asked if the LA derby is the best rivalry in MLS. “The players that have been in this organization, the city and because of course LA Galaxy is the biggest organization here, so having a very direct rival makes everything more interesting.”
