“He came at me [and] I reacted. It is what it is,” said Crisostomo, who was cautioned by Chapman for his reaction.
Last year’s Open Cup ‘El Trafico’ – a 3-1 victory for the Galaxy that featured both sides’ top names – saw a mass confrontation in the opening 15 minutes and five yellow cards in all.
This year, each side was issued three yellows but nothing more as tempers were cooled by two unexpectedly acrobatic saves by Galaxy keeper Jonathan Klinsmann before the halftime whistle.
Two Classy Goals
The Galaxy pressured LAFC’s young backline early in the second half and it paid immediate dividends.
Two stylish goals coming out of halftime, the first from an untouchable left-footed blast by Tyler Boyd and the second on the end of a delightfully shifty run into the box from Riqui Puig, were enough to deflate LAFC’s youngsters.
But Puig, the former FC Barcelona starlet, drew criticism for celebrating his splendid finish by removing his jersey and pointing to his name on the back.
“I’m happy for the goal [and] the truth is that it just happened, it just came about,” said Puig through the Galaxy’s translator. “Sometimes, in these games, the fan bases can be a little intense but we want to make sure they know Galaxy owns this city.”
