Neal: Loons will have no trouble walking into LA and making Galaxy fans cry

Believe it or not, the MLS season is still underway. That pesky international break over the last two weeks prompted the league to pause in the middle of its postseason and wait it out.

Believe it or not, the Loons remain in the playoffs. It seems like eons ago that they survived two matches with Real Salt Lake that required penalty kicks to move on to the Western Conference semifinals.

And, believe it or not, the Loons have a real chance to still be in the playoffs after this weekend. All they have to do is upend the LA Galaxy on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park. This current version — the Loons roster has been on quite a journey this year — can pull this off.

Loons fans are cringing while reading that last paragraph. The Galaxy are up there with Atlanta and Seattle as teams that have tormented them through the years. The Loons have won three, drawn five and lost eight in 16 games against LA, with players like Jonathan dos Santos, Sebastian Lleget, Billy Sharp and Gabriel Chaves punishing them through the years.

This year’s Galaxy team has four players with at least 10 goals during the regular season, led by 16 goals and 12 assists from Chaves. They humiliated Colorado in the first round, outscoring the Rapids 9-1. Riqui Puig, their creative force, scored four goals and added an assist in the series. They play with a lot of freedom, and they are free to score as much as they can. They led the Western Conference in shots on target during the regular season.

“They’re sort of predictably unpredictable,” Loons coach Eric Ramsay said. “They’re maybe a bit like the Real Madrid of this part of the world. I would say it’s some top individuals but playing in quite a loose way — difficult to predict exactly where certain players are going to pop up.”

But the Loons have the tools to disable the Galaxy’s scoring pipeline. They have embraced a style that keeps the ball out of their net. They have a cagey veteran defender in Michael Boxall who has seen it all, and a rugged midfielder in Hassani Dotson to keep the Galaxy in check.

Ramsay will play with a back five if he deems necessary, and their counterattacking game is strong.

Plus, Dayne St. Clair has been a top-notch goalkeeper of late. The Loons are undefeated over their last seven games, allowing just two goals during that span. They will not let the Galaxy blow by them.

Galaxy manager Greg Vanney can just throw out the tape from the last time the teams faced each other, which LA won 2-1 on July 7. Forward Kelvin Yeboah, defender Jefferson Diaz and Joaquín Pereyra had not yet joined the club through the transfer window at that time.

Since they have been integrated, the Loons have become a tough out, defensively sound with enough scoring. Pereyra hasn’t produced the way it was expected of him. That needs to change on Sunday.

And the Loons will have no trouble walking into LA and making Galaxy fans cry. They accumulated 27 points on the road during the regular season, tied with LAFC for the most in the Western Conference. Different styles make the best fights. That’s what will be on display Sunday.

“I think the underlying numbers for us are exciting in the sense of we’re not conceding goals, we’re scoring goals, and we’re doing it in a way that everyone’s bought in, and that’s really important,” midfielder Wil Trapp said. “Every successful team that I’ve been a part of — the buy-in is there, and the commitment on the field to what we are shines through.”

The Galaxy have not faced this version of the Loons. The Loons roster has been sufficiently built through the transfer window. They are playing their best soccer of the season. Yeboah gives them a scoring threat up front that has to be accounted for.

They will cut down the Galaxy’s high volume of shots on goal and keep them in check. And the Galaxy are bound to leave open space behind during their forays up the field. That’s when a turnover can turn into a Loons goal.

Believe it or not, you might be watching the Loons in the Western Conference finals after beating a higher-seeded team for a second time.