GSA vs Galaxy is definitely game of the week.
GSA is a hard team for me to get a handle on because I think they look stronger than they actually are. They play a very smooth, controlled passing game. It's a beautiful style of play and makes GSA look like a tremendous team, but they have lost so much talent, and to my eyes, they have lost some team speed and some individual magic on the ball. They have compensated by playing their RW a lot, and the kid is such a beast player. His speed, skill and physicality have masked the talent drop off. Still, you can only put on so many band aids and IMO, I think GSA are one injury to one key player away, and then the wheels are going to fall off the bus.
It's not just the three players they lost to Galaxy. GSA's CB suffered a severe hip injury and is not fully back yet, and in my book, that is a huge loss. Beyond his defensive skill, that kid played with a mean streak and physicality, and I don't know if GSA has anyone else like him. Looking at their web page, it also looks like one of their star center mids has not played and doesn't even have a uniform number. Not sure what's going on with him, but it's a big loss, because he is fast, has tremendous 1v1 skills and a killer shot.
You have to give a lot of credit to the GSA coaching staff for overcoming the loss of 5 star players, and finding and developing top notch replacements for those stars.
Still, I have to give Galaxy the edge. They are deeper, and Galaxy has big, skilled physically mature CB that can hold up to GSA's star striker.
GSA is a hard team for me to get a handle on because I think they look stronger than they actually are. They play a very smooth, controlled passing game. It's a beautiful style of play and makes GSA look like a tremendous team, but they have lost so much talent, and to my eyes, they have lost some team speed and some individual magic on the ball. They have compensated by playing their RW a lot, and the kid is such a beast player. His speed, skill and physicality have masked the talent drop off. Still, you can only put on so many band aids and IMO, I think GSA are one injury to one key player away, and then the wheels are going to fall off the bus.
It's not just the three players they lost to Galaxy. GSA's CB suffered a severe hip injury and is not fully back yet, and in my book, that is a huge loss. Beyond his defensive skill, that kid played with a mean streak and physicality, and I don't know if GSA has anyone else like him. Looking at their web page, it also looks like one of their star center mids has not played and doesn't even have a uniform number. Not sure what's going on with him, but it's a big loss, because he is fast, has tremendous 1v1 skills and a killer shot.
You have to give a lot of credit to the GSA coaching staff for overcoming the loss of 5 star players, and finding and developing top notch replacements for those stars.
Still, I have to give Galaxy the edge. They are deeper, and Galaxy has big, skilled physically mature CB that can hold up to GSA's star striker.
