Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku gestures after his shirt is ripped during his debut for the club in Los Angeles REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku gestures after his shirt is ripped during his debut for the club in Los Angeles REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Final thoughts: Mourinho is on the sideline talking to an ESPN reporter. He’s happy at the “good training session” he got from the Galaxy, and passes on his thanks to Curt Onalfo for sending out two teams to give his own side a thorough workout. As for his verdict on Lukaku:
“He didn’t score goals, but he played better than the ones who did score goals...”
He goes on to commend Lukaku’s strength and hold up play, before declaring himself, “So happy.”
Mourinho also has some nice words for Ashley Cole, who he was seen deep in conversation with before the game. In a very Mourinho juxtaposition, he praises the “family man” who “gave his blood for me”.
Mourinho can be happy with the game going as planned, and for the different looks he was able to see from his team. Beyond that, it was not (spoiler alert) a “meaningful game” was it? And the game against Real Salt Lake on Monday will not be much different. There is a Manchester derby coming up on Thursday though, and Mourinho may want to make some decisions about optimum formation and personnel before that one kicks off.
LA, meanwhile, head back to their regular season grind hoping they can finally get some traction at home. It was never likely to arrive tonight, and didn’t.
Thanks for your tweets and emails. Sorry I didn’t get to use them all. Good night.
Lukaku has a final little flurry of jockeying for position in the center circle, but that will be that from him for the night. The referee blows the whistle, and that will be that. Final thoughts in a minute.
88 mins: So if we’re going by that “Two 45 minute games” logic, the Galaxy look to have snatched a credible 2-2 draw in the second of those. Or they’ve flattered themselves a little in the overall scoreline, if you’re more strict about these things.
GOAL! LA GALAXY 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 5 (DOS SANTOS!)
The little burst of Galaxy energy has died down again, as the game heads into the last five minutes.
But now an Alessandrini corner is headed goalwards by Dave Romney from the edge of the six yard box, and it takes a touch of Dos Santos as it sneaks inside the back post.
82 mins: LA looking lively for a moment again and Boateng batters his way through a few United defenders before eventually scooping the ball across the six yard box to where Alessandrini’s header is saved point blank by Pereira.
Short pause in play now though as Mkhitaryan looks to have picked up a slight knock in the build up to that chance.
GOAL! LA GALAXY 1-5 MANCHESTER UNITED (DOS SANTOS!)
Alessandrini’s been a bright spot for the Galaxy this year and out of nothing he flicks a neat pass into the box with the outside of his boot, perfectly placed for Dos Santos to check inside and shoot low across Pereira for a consolation goal.
78 mins: Lukaku’s close control not particularly special on the right corner of the box, and neither is his decision-making as he’s crowded out, with team mates moving dangerously around him.
TOTALWASTEOFMONEYSEE!SEE!SEE! says someone on Twitter. Probably.
Meanwhile Martial has another pop at goal which Brian Rowe is able to get down to fairly comfortably.
76 mins: The ball breaks to Lukaku just to the left of the D, with no Galaxy defender within 5 yards of him. The big man duly winds up for the spectacular and nearly succeeds in smashing the Jumbotron. Which in fairness would have been truly spectacular.
Ashley Cole caught completely flatfooted as Fosu-Mensah gallops into tons of space down the right before cutting the ball back from the byline, into the path of Martial. Martial just has to crisply redirect the ball into the near post corner. He does.
70 mins: United continuing to break up play then commit forward at speed. Galaxy’s defending not helped by the fact that Jones is already looking like his return from injury may be a bit premature. He’s having real trouble moving out there.
GOAL! LA GALAXY 0-4 MANCHESTER UNITED (MKHITARYAN!)
Another sloppy Galaxy giveaway, this one by Jones, sends United’s front men swarming forward to capitalize on the mistake. And when the ball rolls into the path of Mkhitaryan, just above the penalty spot, he makes no mistake sliding the ball low to Rowe’s left for 4-0.
66 mins: Darmian picks up a ball that spins off a Galaxy leg, just outside the box, He cuts inside looking for a shooting angle but has to settle for a corner of yet another deflected shot. From the corner Lindelof gets his first look at a goal for United but can’t put it away.
64 mins: Mkhitaryan surges forward at speed from his own half, touches the ball to Lukaku on the left of the box and then shapes for the return inside the area. He can’t quite find the space for a clean shot and it’s deflected for a corner off Van Damme.
62 mins: United playing through LA pressing high for a moment, and they do so comfortably to allow Darmian to slide the ball to Martial for a shot inside the box. Rowe’s out well to smother it though.
60 mins: Martial sends a wicked dipping shot just over the bar for United and now he’s back in action pressing the last man, Van Damme, as the Galaxy center back tries to clear his lines. Van Damme’s not new to this though and clears it smoothly.
New subs on for Galaxy, in experienced midfielders Jermaine Jones and Romain Alessandrini. Jones just coming back from ligament injury by the way.
58 mins: I’m sorry, but as you might guess I’m trying to pick out substitutes on the run with little official information coming my way.
Can confirm that Ashley Cole just took the Galaxy’s first shot of the night. In an indication of how that night has gone, let’s just say it’s been followed by a goal kick.
56 mins: Dos Santo skips down the right looking for the cross but Pogba blocks the ball off for a corner to the Galaxy. It’s floated deep to the back post and for a second it looks as if Pereira is emulating early David de Gea by flapping awfully at the cross. He gets away with it though.
54 mins: The Galaxy’s lines look more disciplined in this half as might be expected from a more familiar line up, but there’s still some shakiness in their final third that could encourage Lukaku et al. He’s up again his former Belgian national team mentor Jelle van Damme by the way.
52 mins: Lukaku involved again, holding off defenders to cut the ball back for Mkhitaryan on the edge of the box, but his fizzing low shot is well wide.
50 mins: Wow! Lukaku won’t have a better chance to open his United account. A sloppy throw from new goalkeeper Brian Rowe is knocked straight back into the path of Lukaku inside the box. He turns and shoots but it’s straight at Rowe, which spares the keeper’s blushes. Lukaku looked surprised to receive the ball in that much space.
The USA beat Nicaragua 3-0 to top their Gold Cup group earlier this evening. So in case you were wondering what former Galaxy boss Bruce Arena is doing these days, he’s probably just been standing on a touchline in Cleveland, clutching a calculator and smiling that weary Cheshire Cat grin he specializes in.
And now he gets to congratulate the players who got him through the group before sending half of them home for players who can win the knockout games. Such are the vagaries of Gold Cup rules.
Half-time thoughts: So it’s going to be a game of two distinct halves. A chastened looking Curt Onalfo was interviewed on the sidelines as the teams came off and confirmed he’d be making eight changes at half-time and another two on the hour. With Mourinho promising wholesale changes of his own, we’re essentially headed for the second of two 45 minute games.
United got a perfect gentle workout from the overawed Galaxy kids in the first of those games. Lapses of touch and concentration in key areas saw the hosts gift United plenty of looks at goal, and the visitors took advantage from the opening minutes onwards. Rashford did his cause no harm with a couple of cool finishes, Mata was continually looking to be an instigator in the Galaxy half, but in general this was a physical worjout at the start of a tough schedule of 5 games in 11 days (and plenty of travel). So far so good.
43 mins: The ball is in the net again as Kempkin loses the ball but an offside is called.
But a minute later, Rashford strides into the box on his own, looking to finish his hat trick after losing Steres all too easily. But Kempkin does well to get down and block the shot with his legs.
“Hi Graham, A big cheer from ‘the United fans’ on seeing David Beckham on the Jumbotron? What about the Galaxy fans?”
How can I put this? I think most Galaxy fans seem to have sold their seats. The stadium is nearly all red tonight...These two teams played to a sold out 86,000 seat Rose Bowl a few years back, and there are plenty of United fans in Southern California.
38 mins: The energy has dipped a little as we head into the final minutes of the half. Thogh just as I type that Rashford makes a byline for goal, drawing the looose interest of three defenders, who give him rather too much space to set up Mata with a backheel on the left of the box. Mata’s shot is wide of the near post though.
36 mins: The United subs all engaged in some well-choreographed warm ups behind one of the goals. Like, boy band well-choreographed.
Galaxy subs doing the same, though in what may be some sort of parable, they are not so co-ordinated.
Valencia gets to the byline and crosses the ball across goal. Fellaini is beyond the back post and heads the ball across goal, but only to a Galaxy defender.
34 mins: The Galaxy briefly advance into the United half, but the awareness of what United have already done in space behind them this half stops too many men committing forward and United defend comfortably. Now the visitors are exchanging neat little one-two’s on the edge of the box, which ends with Rashford sending a sharply dipping shot just over the bar from the left of the D. He’s looking for his hat trick before the half-time substitutions kick in.
32 mins: David Beckham, who’s at the stadium tonight, just showed up on the jumbotron screen, bringing a big cheer from the United fans in the stadium.
30 mins: United stretching the Galaxy down the flanks now as they move the ball across the field looking for openings.One or two Galaxy players looking like they’d rather this “learning experience” ended sooner rather than later as they’re given the runaround.
28 mins: Mata’s been influential so far and he initiates another move now, from the right touchline. It ends with Lingard spanking a shot over the bar from just outside the box.
26 mins: Manchester United score again. Lingard combines with Herrera on the left, before turning sharply on the byline to lose the luckless Nathan Smith and slide the ball back just in time to meet Fellaini’s secondary run. The Belgian hammers an emphatic first-time shot home from just inside the box, and that’s 3-0.
24 mins: Mata drives a left foot shot from distance. It’s charged down, but United are looking buoyed by their second goal, while LA look to have lost the confidence they’d begun to play their way towards.
22 mins: Lingard gets to the byline and cuts the ball back to Rashford popping up on the left this time. He jinks past one defender but overruns the ball as he’s shaping for the shot, and LA clear their lines.
20 mins: Rashford is hauled down by Arellano inside the Galaxy half. The Galaxy win the ball back from the free kick, but another cheap turnover sets up Mata for a perfect pass into the path of Rashford entering the right of the box. He has too much time to set himself and roll the ball smoothly across Kempkin to double the lead. Perfect start to pre-season for the young striker.
18 mins: I have received one or two other emails regarding Robbie Keane’s childhood dream of playing for the Galaxy, but I won’t be using them here, if only for the fact that he actually played like that was true when he was here.
The next generation of Galaxy players are settling a little now. Nothing dangerous yet, but they’re trying to move the ball around in advanced positions.
16 mins: Regarding that last incident, J.R. from Illinois writes:
“Hey Graham,
Who do you think think Phil Jones will injure tonight? I feel that the chances are spread evenly between an opponent, a teammate, and himself. I think I’ll go with an opponent this evening.”
If he keeps sprinting into the stadium infrstructure you may be wrong there...
Mata pops up on the edge of the Galaxy box now, and manages to squeeze a delghtful little chip towards the top left corner of Kempkin’s goal, but the goalkeeper is able to get to it with a parry and then a scramble to claim the ball.
14 mins: It’s taken short and Rashford picks up the ball and drifts inside the box before trying a rather lazy curling shot with the outside of his right boot, that never looked likely to come back on target.
Another corner now, which Maya sends deep, but only to the head of an LA defender. The Galaxy break sharply and Lassiter gets a free run at Phil Jones. Jones is made to work in chasing him and ends up grateful to be able to force the ball out for a corner. He’s possibly slightly less grateful to force himself into an ad hoarding at speed.
12 mins: A couple of awkward ricochets in the United box almost lead to the ball falling at Jamieson IV’s feet near the penalty spot, but the ball is somewhat awkwardly hacked clear thanks to a Fellaini touch.
United go up to the other end where Herrera forces a corner...
10 mins: A glimmer of a look for LA in the United half, but Lassiter and Jamieson IV can’t combine effectively and lose the ball on the edge of the box.
Meanwhile Mata jogs back to his own half sheepishly after being caught a couple of miles offside on another lofted ball forward.
8 mins: The Galaxy reserves looking understandably disjointed as they try to play their way into this game. United looking understandably composed and settling into a pattern of looking for angles to send balls through and over the LA backline.
6 mins: Herrera tries a little speculative pass for the overlapping Valencia on the right, but it’s just too strong for Valencia to prevent the goal kick and Kempkin gratefully hoists said kick long into the United half for some respite.
4 mins: That wasn’t the first poor touch by Smith, only seconds into the game, and he’s looked shaky again in the aftermath of the goal. He needs to settle quickly.
2 mins: LA back to building from the back, looking a little sloppy though. And sure enough Nathan Smith panics under pressure from Lingard, and loses possession wide right. Rashford picks up the ball on the left corner of the box, steps forward and slides the simplest of finishes across Jon Kempkin.
We’re off. Galaxy kick off, and try to circulate the ball among themselves to settle. United quickly get it back though and do their own version of laconically pinging the ball around to no particular place.
United in the sort of shirts that would not look out of place as the motif of a carpet covering the foyer of a Gary Neville hotel, or the seats of a late night bus down Oxford Rd.
The Galaxy will probably be playing in their traditional “British cigarette packet” kit.
Full disclosure: I look awful.
United in a 4-2-3-1 for those following footballing matters. And the Galaxy are lined up likewise.
Although this is the land of the unpredictable kick off, so don’t hold me to that. But under normal circumstances, now might be a good time to drop to your knees and offer a last minute prayer to your deity of choice, if that’s your thing...
Or perhaps form a gossipy huddle with your team mates.
LA Galaxy: Jon Kempin; Nathan Smith, Daniel Steres, Hugo Arellano, Bradley Diallo; Rafael Garcia, Jaime Villarreal; Bradford Jamieson IV, Raul Mendiola, Ariel Lassiter; Jack McInerney
Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Fellaini, Lingard, Mata, Rashford.
No surprises for the visitors, with a solid and familiar looking line up for the first 45 minutes at least. That said, the second half may well be scheduled as an interpretative dance in which the StubHub Center pitch will be turned into a facsimile of the stretch of the M62 where Lukaku and Wayne Rooney would have crossed, had Lukaku not already been conveniently located in California when the call came. It will be performed by a cast of ex-Coronation Street stars who decided to leave the show 20 years ago to try their hand in Hollywood.
As for the hosts, well none of the bigger names like Ashley Cole, Gio Dos Santos or veteran US World Cup midfielder Jermaine Jones are starting the game, though all are on the bench, as are team captain Jelle Van Damme and playmaker Romain Alessandrini, so Curt Onalfo may be hoping to buzz round a ring-rusty United with enthusiastic kids for 45 minutes before tagging in the big boys in time for United to board their coach in minute 46.
It’s been an underwhelming season for the Galaxy, marked by uncharacteristically poor home form. The 2011, 2012 and 2014 MLS Cup winners assembled a team packed with veteran names last year, but never added up to more than the sum of their parts, meaning Steve Gerrard never got to emulate Beckham by winning a title in the city, but instead instagrammed a goodbye from the Hollywood Hills, while wearing some ill-advised jeans.
After failing in last year’s playoffs the likes of Gerrard, Robbie Keane (who to be fair turned out to be a bona fide legend for the team) and head coach Bruce Arena left the side, with reserve team coach Curt Onalfo brought in to oversee the reinvention. He’s been charged with integrating a lot more of the young talent Southern California has in abundance (useful when MLS rules prohibit teams from recruiting youth beyond a 75 mile radius), but which Arena was always a little wary of doing.
It’s not been easy. There’s still a pressure on the Galaxy to maintain some sort of aura in MLS circles as a glamor team, particularly now they are about to be visited by the type of noisy neighbors New York City FC became in another crowded media market. LAFC is about to launch, in a flurry of celebrity owners and cool branding that’s already grabbed its fair share of attention in the city, and if the Galaxy want to avoid becoming suburban also-rans, they need their longstanding local expertise to start bearing fruit under Onalfo, pretty much right now.
And right now they are out of the US Open Cup after a 3-2 loss to rivals San Jose on Monday night, and their last league game before that was a 6-2 home loss to Real Salt Lake. Manchester United might prove to be a welcome distraction from domestic struggles...
Dr Ian Copestake writes, with the subject line, “On Covering this game”
Why?????!!!!!
Glancing at Dr Copestake’s email signature, he also reveals that he is the editor of the William Carlos Williams Review, so in that spirit, Guardian editorial policy can be summed up thus:
United are at home in the US. One of the first European teams to seriously target the US as a market is still one of the commercial leaders as the game takes ever deeper root in North America. They’ll be playing a couple of MLS sides in this pre-season warm up before facing stiffer competition in the annual International Champions Cup, which has gained momentum over the last couple of years as the pre-season friendly tournament of choice for Europe’s top teams. Certainly since the New York Red Bulls waltzed home with the Emirates Cup that time...
And if it means more pre-season scrutiny than the average scrimmage with Molde reserves, for example, Jose Mourinho is happy enough. Chelsea and Real Madrid have also been regular visitors to the US in recent seasons, and he’s known to be very happy with the facilities and professionalism his sides have to prepare in. And the traveling hacks sent to cover those preparations seem happy enough to be in LA too.
But there’s plenty to prepare. United were consistently hard to beat last year, but consistently unable to see out wins against notionally weaker opposition. There were flickers of an effective plan B beyond Ibrahimovic, and after his injury expectations that Alvaro Morata could trigger a wholesale reinvention, but the acquisition of Romelu Lukaku looks to have put us back in the “big man” with supporting cast mode. We’ve been there before with Mourinho, of course.
But while a lot will depend on just how ready Lukaku is to take his undoubted raw talent and harness it at elite level, a lot will also depend on just who, if anyone, Mourinho gets to add as the “one or two more” players he hopes to bring in before the start of the season.
And for now at least, there’ll be a familiar look to the team. Neither Lukaku or other new signing Victor Lindelof are in the starting XI. Though in the spirit of pre-season tormenting of livebloggers, the entire team will be replaced at half-time. So maybe you’ll see them then. Just don’t expect me to tell you until minute 72.
In a simpler time of David Beckham hair bands and the Guardian never having heard of America, LA Galaxy were the unquestioned dominant team of Major League Soccer and Manchester United were Manchester United.
Then Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and 4K High Definition was invented just in time to make out individual blood vessels appearing in David Moyes’ eyes. David Beckham retired and cropped up in Miami, where he’s currently attempting to prove that well-harnessed charisma can turn building a stadium in a city currently earmarked for the first batch of global warming flooding into “a good idea”. No name confirmed for the new Beckham team as yet but get your money on the “Miami Canutes”.
The upshot is that, these days, both LA and Manchester United are, to put it generously, in extended “rebuilding mode”. United have burned their way through one or two more blueprints for their rebuild than the Galaxy have in their own version of life after a longstanding manager (the highly successful Bruce Arena left the team for the USA job at the end of last season). But on different scales both teams might recognize more than a little about each other’s relative states these days.
Still...Lukaku though...and that Europa League...and I think Ashley Cole’s knocking around the stadium somewhere...This has all the makings of a meaningful game.
Graham will be here soon. In the meantime, here’s the latest on Romelu Lukaku:
As a coup de théâtre, Manchester United’s swoop for Romelu Lukaku was rather magnificent. A much-needed striker was acquired, Wayne Rooney was offloaded and José Mourinho’s last two clubs were left looking a little foolish – Chelsea as they failed to land a player who had seemed almost certain to join them since January and Real Madrid as they vainly held out on their valuation of Álvaro Morata. From a football point of view, though, the deal raises as many questions as it answers.
Assuming Morata was plan A for United – and unless United were playing some implausible double game he surely was – it is a significant change of tack to turn to Lukaku. They are very different players and the hop from one to the other reinforces the idea United’s transfer policy is based on buying individuals and then fitting them together rather than setting out with a coherent strategy. Or at least it would if Lukaku were not – whatever tensions may have existed between them in the past – such an obviously Mourinho style of striker.
Lukaku scores goals. He got 25 in the league last season, more than anybody other than Harry Kane, and that despite looking disaffected during the run-in. He will win aerial balls and offer a physical threat in the way Zlatan Ibrahimovic did and, while no one would suggest Lukaku is as skilful or imaginative as the Swede, he is significantly quicker. Lukaku may not run much – which could be an issue – but when he does he tends to be quick.
That means he can fulfil two vital roles in a Mourinho side: he can hold up the ball but he also offers a threat on the counter. His goal at Manchester City last Octoberwas stunning as he surged from halfway, going through two challenges before finishing neatly. That means when United sit deep, when they look to spoil, they will still offer a threat – which was why Didier Drogba, once he had found his feet in England, was such a key component of Mourinho’s Chelsea side.
Graham will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s the latest on Romelu Lukaku:
As a coup de théâtre, Manchester United’s swoop for Romelu Lukaku was rather magnificent. A much-needed striker was acquired, Wayne Rooney was offloaded and José Mourinho’s last two clubs were left looking a little foolish – Chelsea as they failed to land a player who had seemed almost certain to join them since January and Real Madrid as they vainly held out on their valuation of Álvaro Morata. From a football point of view, though, the deal raises as many questions as it answers.
Assuming Morata was plan A for United – and unless United were playing some implausible double game he surely was – it is a significant change of tack to turn to Lukaku. They are very different players and the hop from one to the other reinforces the idea United’s transfer policy is based on buying individuals and then fitting them together rather than setting out with a coherent strategy. Or at least it would if Lukaku were not – whatever tensions may have existed between them in the past – such an obviously Mourinho style of striker.
Lukaku scores goals. He got 25 in the league last season, more than anybody other than Harry Kane, and that despite looking disaffected during the run-in. He will win aerial balls and offer a physical threat in the way Zlatan Ibrahimovic did and, while no one would suggest Lukaku is as skilful or imaginative as the Swede, he is significantly quicker. Lukaku may not run much – which could be an issue – but when he does he tends to be quick.
That means he can fulfil two vital roles in a Mourinho side: he can hold up the ball but he also offers a threat on the counter. His goal at Manchester City last Octoberwas stunning as he surged from halfway, going through two challenges before finishing neatly. That means when United sit deep, when they look to spoil, they will still offer a threat – which was why Didier Drogba, once he had found his feet in England, was such a key component of Mourinho’s Chelsea side.
