Galaxy rout Austin FC to keep alive playoff hopes

The pulse is weak and the respiratory shallow, but the Galaxy’s playoff hopes are still alive.

And getting better.

With a 4-1 win over Austin FC on Saturday, mixed with San José’s win over Real Salt Lake, the Galaxy head into next weekend’s regular-season finale with a slim path that would guarantee them a place in the postseason: beat or draw with Salt Lake on the street and they’re in. Anything short of that and they no longer control their own future, that means they’d need favorable outcomes elsewhere to advance.

The same state of affairs holds for Real Salt Lake, which works on with a win in its ultimate sport but can be eradicated with a loss or draw.

“Now everyone’s season is on the line,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “It’s always good to go into the final week and know that you don’t have to be scoreboard watching. You’ve got to take care of your own business, and if you do that, you control your own destiny. That’s the one thing you definitely want. It’s on us.”

It’s taken a long, mad dash to get this close. The Galaxy (11-11-11, 44 factors) have misplaced only one of their last eight video games, making them one of the most popular groups in MLS over the last seven weeks, going from twelfth place in the 15-team Western Conference standings to seventh with one sport left, pending the remaining of the weekend’s outcomes.

Know who has been just as scorching? Real Salt Lake (12-15-6, 42 factors), which was unbeaten in its last 5 before Saturday.

The Galaxy are finally getting healthy at the fitting time. With Hirving Lozano and Joseph Paintstil returning from injury and Marco Reus from sickness, the Galaxy on Saturday began their strongest lineup of the season and had been rewarded with a season-high 4 objectives.

“When this group gets together and we can get them in sync, we [have] a team that could be very dangerous,” Vanney said. “If again we take care of business next week and we go into the playoffs, not a lot of teams are going to love seeing us across from them. That’s the opportunity that we’re seeking, right?

“Just the opportunity to go after this thing.”

Playing aggressively before an intimate Halloween gathering of 17,238 at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy went forward to keep in the tenth minute, overwhelming Austin by speeding 4 males into the penalty space to rating on João Klauss’ right-footed shot from the middle of the box.

The purpose, Klauss’ tenth of the season, matched his profession high in a career-low 16 video games and it was a good omen for the Galaxy, who have yet to lose this season when scoring first. Things obtained even better when Lozano doubled the lead on a header just before halftime. Harbor Miller earned assists on both objectives, giving him three in his last three begins.

Robert Taylor made it 3-0 three minutes after coming off the bench to start the second half, drilling a right-footed shot into the roof of the web off an help from Reus.

Ervin Torres pulled one back for Austin (8-15-10) in the 54th minute, curling a right-footed shot past Galaxy keeper JT Marcinkowski from effectively exterior the box. But that was as close as the guests would get, with Sergi Roberto closing out the scoring with his first MLS purpose in the 66th minute.

Reus set up that one too, giving him three assists for the sport and a team-high 15 for the season. It also marked a profession best for Reus, who twice completed a Bundesliga season with 13 assists for Borussia Dortmund.

“In the most recent games, we’ve been playing great football,” Lozano said in Spanish. “We’re on the right track.”

Now the Galaxy will spend the remaining of the weekend watching outcomes. A win or a draw by Colorado in Saturday’s late sport and the same end result from Seattle on Sunday would push the Galaxy to the ninth and ultimate playoff berth in the convention, two factors forward of Real Salt Lake, with 90 minutes left in the season.

But they’re not useless yet. And that has the Galaxy locker room feeling assured.

“We have to play our best football from the first minute to the 90th minute,” Lozano said of next week’s sport before including, “I believe we’re going to advance.”