Mark-Anthony Kaye: It's the LA Galaxy's "World Cup final" when playing LAFC

LAFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye cut right to the chase during his appearance on BSI: The Podcast, giving a window into the MLS is Back Tournament edition of El Trafico.

The defending Supporters’ Shield champions secured a 6-2 win over the LA Galaxy last Saturday, exploding for four goals in the second half. LAFC weren’t at their best during the first 45 minutes, but Kaye felt like a switch flipped in the second half.

“They know that maybe they’ve been outworking us,” Kaye said. “Then in the second half they’re discouraged because they’re like ‘Wow, how can we keep this up? We’ve never had to keep up like this for that long.’ 

"Then you see it just opens up. Once we get that goal I was like I’m telling guys in that huddle, we score the first goal the game is over, it’s done. They have nothing else. Then they start bickering at each other and they’re done.”

By game’s end, Diego Rossi scored four goals and LAFC had their most lopsided win in El Trafico history. The series was also evened at 2-2-3 across all competitions, with Kaye adding they’re well past the infamous 4-3 loss in 2018 that marked Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s debut.

“Look at them right now, they have (two points) from their first five games of the season,” Kaye said. “It’s their World Cup final playing us.” 

As much as the Galaxy are hoping Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez can replace Zlatan’s 52 goals across two seasons, Kaye said playing without Jonathan dos Santos is even more significant. The midfielder had minimally invasive hernia surgery before games got underway in Orlando, contributing to LA finishing bottom of Group F with a 0-2-1 record.

Moreover, Kaye feels the Galaxy are struggling to find their identity right now under head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

“I don’t know what they’re fueled off of at this point,” Kaye said. “I don’t know how they train, I don’t know what their ideas are. Yes, I think their coach is a good coach. He’s proven it with other teams, but it’s like they need that physical battle. If they win that physical battle they feel like they’ll win the game and you can’t do that all the time. In the MLS you’re not going to be up for a game all the time like that. I just don’t know, I really don’t know.”

For more from Kaye, check out the entire BSI: The Podcast show here.