CARTAGO, Costa Rica -- It’s three games and three defeats for the Los Angeles Galaxy to start the season.
The current MLS Cup champions remain winless after losing the first leg of their Round of 16 Concacaf Champions Cup match 1-0 away against Club Sport Herediano on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
It was an unfriendly return to the tournament for the Galaxy, who last qualified for the continental cup competition during the 2015-16 campaign.
Fulltime from Cartago. pic.twitter.com/PuFfwrMio7
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) March 6, 2025
All It Takes Is One
Herediano Captain Elias Aguilar was the hero for the hosts after taking advantage of a Galaxy mistake in the 70th minute. Midfielder Elijah Wynder was forced into a giveaway in the defensive end, and Aguilar took full advantage to drive into space and curl a long-range effort past Galaxy Goalkeeper John McCarthy.
It was all Herediano would need to beat a Galaxy side that dominated possession and made several good chances but failed to convert them. In an open-ended match, Los Angeles spurned multiple opportunities to put themselves ahead.
“One of our objectives here was to get an away goal. We had some chances, we didn't finish them, and now we're at home, and we've got to make sure that we manage our goal and get someone on the attacking end,” Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney said in a post-match press conference.
“I mean, it was certainly something we wanted to achieve, and we didn't achieve it tonight. So, credit to them. But now, we've got to take care of business at our place.”
Gabriel Pec had more than one good look at goal, while Marco Reus had a one-on-one chance to tie the match in the 68th minute, only for Goalkeeper Danny Carvajal to make a result-saving block on the German star and preserve his shutout.
“We couldn’t find a goal, but the effort will carry on, and hopefully we can find the comeback,” Striker Christian Ramirez shared post-game.
The game’s lone goal means the Costa Rican champions take a slight advantage back to Los Angeles next week. The Galaxy will hope that their fans and a familiar pitch will allow them to pull off that comeback.
A Glimmer of Hope
(Photo Credit: LA Galaxy)
In his first LA Galaxy start, Right Back Harbor Miller made his Concacaf Champions Cup debut and put in several goal-saving tackles in the Galaxy's 1-0 away defeat to CS Herediano on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
But it could’ve been worse than 1-0.
Aguilar’s strike was McCarthy’s only blemish in an otherwise stellar match for the shot-stopper. The two-time champion made several pivotal saves to keep the Galaxy in the game, including a point-blank stop in the 57th minute to keep the scores level.
When it wasn’t McCarthy saving the Galaxy, it was 17-year-old Harbor Miller.
In his first start for LA, Miller was superb. The young right-back made several last-ditch tackles to stop Herediano attacks. He also became the youngest player in LA Galaxy history to play in a Concacaf Champions Cup match.
“I thought Harbor was excellent. I thought of all the players throughout the day, I felt like Harbor found the speed and the physicality of the game right from the start and was able to match it through the course of 90 minutes. I thought that was impressive for a young man in his first start with the Galaxy,” Vanney said of Miller's performance.
“I thought he [Miller] had an excellent game, both defensively and offensively. I couldn’t be more proud of him and the effort and the quality of game he put together.”
With Miki Yamane and Mauricio Cuevas being injured, the Galaxy academy player gives Vanney a viable option in defense during their early-season injury crisis.
Center Back Emiro Garces was also stellar in defense. The young Colombian’s pace and physicality ensured that Herediano didn’t have more chances to test McCarthy.
The collective defensive effort gives the Galaxy a chance going into the second leg at home next Wednesday, March 12th. A similar scoreline will be enough for them to force extra time in the fixture.
They'll need a bigger offensive output than the one goal they’ve managed all season to reverse the tie, however. If LA can’t finish their chances, it’ll be a short return visit to the Champions Cup for Vanney’s team.
The Galaxy will have a chance at their first win of the year when they host St. Louis City on Sunday, March 9, before the second leg against Herediano.