LA Galaxy Are Dummy Running Experts


How many goals have the LA Galaxy scored off a dummy run by one of the forwards? It seems like they’re always getting goals off this almost set play. Did Bruce Arena get the team to focus on this as part of their game or was it Robben Keane or Landon Donovan? Or did the dummy run just come out of the game naturally….?

It’s happened so many times it just seems like this is something they’ve really focused on as if it were a "set play". What’s amazing is how many times the LA Galaxy pull it off and how defenders are still tricked by the run. However, if you’re playing as well as the Galaxy are these days, pinging the ball around like Barcelona, then I guess it’s easier for the opposing team to fall for a dummy run. But still, come on other MLS teams, the Galaxy are making you look foolish.

To me, Robbie Keane is surely the one who has made the dummy run a trademark set play for the LA Galaxy. And Keane understanding of the game has rubbed off on his teammates. Here it’s Mike Magee draws two defenders into the box and lets the ball run to Donovan to score – a very clever dummy run. It comes at about the 1:40 mark in the video below.

And here it’s Landon Donovan with the dummy run that leads to a Gyasi Zardes tap in. The dummy happens at about the 5:30 mark in the video below.

 

This time it’s Gyasi Zardes with the dummy fake run after a clever flick pass by Alan Gordon.