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Galaxy II shuts out OC Blues in I-405 rivalry

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CARSON — Some call the matchup between the Orange County Blues FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy II the I-405 rivalry. One team plays in Irvine and the other in Carson.

While the I-405 rivalry is in its second year, the OC Blues always seem to be stuck in traffic and the Galaxy II are in the fast lane whenever the two sides meet.

Each of the six matches between the clubs has gone to the Galaxy II, which cruised to a 3-0 win against the OC Blues at StubHub Center’s Track and Field Stadium on Friday.

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The OC Blues have been singing the blues ever since the Galaxy II joined the United Soccer League, a third-division professional league in North America, last year. The Galaxy II has outscored the OC Blues, 18-3, and the latest setback comes at a difficult time for the OC Blues.

In the past four matches, the OC Blues have three losses and one tie. They went into the evening with 16 points, a point away from the sixth-and-final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and the OC Blues remained there.

The OC Blues (5-5-1) played without two key starters, striker Christofer Ramirez (rest) missed his third straight match and midfielder Denzel Slager (coach’s decision) sat out for the second straight time. Ramirez leads the OC Blues with five goals, while Slager has two goals and two assists.

Without the duo scoring threat, the OC Blues struggled creating any semblance of an offense in the opening half. They put Christopher Cortez up top, with Christopher Santana, a former UC Irvine standout, and Seung Ju Kim on the left and right wings, respectively.

But it was the hosts who put on a show for the 1,121 fans in attendance. Dave Romney, Travis Bowen and Ariel Lassiter each produced a goal for the Galaxy II (8-5-1, 25 points), which move up from third place to first in the Western Conference.

Jack McBean, a Corona del Mar product, helped the Galaxy II’s attack. The 20-year-old appeared to have a good scoring chance in the 11th minute, before defender Jeffrey Payeras made a nice tackle near the left side of the top of the box. An attacking McBean went down, looking for a call, only to see goalkeeper Pepe Miranda easily come up with the ball.

Three minutes later, off a corner, McBean had another chance near the far post, but he was unable to finish.

The best scoring opportunity for McBean came in the 22nd minute, but Miranda stopped McBean again. McBean received a pass in the box, spun to his right and released a left-footed shot that Miranda deflected to his left and out of play.

The play set up the third corner kick for the Galaxy II, and the Galaxy II capitalized. Romney, from Irvine, put away Andre Auras’ corner, giving the Galaxy II a 1-0 lead with a header in the 23rd minute.

Late in the first half, the OC Blues almost evened things up. Didier Crettenand took a free kick outside the box, from the right side, and found Cortez deep in the box, where he collided with Jio Santana while going after the ball with his head. The shot went high.

McBean was at it again in the first half. From almost midfield, he dribbled, going to his right and eluding defenders along the way. He made it to the far edge of the box, finding the right time to put a nice touch on his shot, which went over the crossbar. A few seconds later, McBean received a yellow card, and that’s how the first half ended.

The second half featured more of the Galaxy II, as Bowen scored off a corner in the 60th minute and Lassiter found the back of the net in the 90th minute. Keeper Clement Diop earned the shutout, only having to make three saves.

The OC Blues return to action on Wednesday, when they travel to play the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (8-5-0). The last win for the OC Blues came against the Switchbacks on May 13.

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