Los Angeles Galaxy II thrashed North Texas 6:1 in MLS Next Pro's Group Stage on Friday night. The hosts ran riot at their own ground, turning what could have been a tight contest into a procession by the interval. To be fair, the result reflected what had been building all season for a side that has won seventeen of twenty-six matches without a single draw.
J. Placias opened the scoring at eleven minutes, then doubled his tally forty minutes in. E. Preston added another before the break, and the visitors had barely settled into the second half when N. Simmonds struck at fifty-one. Preston completed his brace five minutes later, and by then the game was effectively over.
North Texas' sole response came late through A. Villatoro at eighty-six minutes, but L. Muller added a second for the hosts in stoppage time. The match saw two yellow cards — M. Luccin and Alvaro Augusto — and four substitutions between the sides, with Galaxy II bringing on T. Ospina for Preston at seventy-nine minutes.
The victory keeps Galaxy II second in the table on fifty points from seventeen wins. North Texas remain fourth on thirty-eight points, thirteen defeats in twenty-six games. The hosts have not dropped points since their opening month, while the visitors' recent form has been mixed at best.
And here's the thing about matches like this — they are rarely decided by possession or shots. Three or four moments separate winners from losers, and Galaxy II seized theirs early. The rest was just paperwork.