11 September 2023 , 16:38
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Billy Sharp has confidently claimed he will thrive in a "hostile" environment against rivals LAFC as LA Galaxy continue their push for the MLS Playoffs.
The veteran forward has taken to life in MLS following his shock move from Sheffield United after their promotion back to the top tier. Effectively a replacement for ex-Manchester United star Javier Hernandez, the 37-year-old has proven a real handful for opposition defences since moving to America.
This latest goal for his new employers meant that the Bramall Lane legend is currently averaging a strike every 44 minutes since his move to the US. In total, he already has two goals from his opening four appearances in California as he looks to provide the firepower for the team's playoffs surge.
The glee was written all over Sharp's face as he prodded home an equalizer for the Galaxy in their 2-2 draw versus Western Conference leaders St Louis. Introduced into the action as a second-half substitute, he used his experience to steer the ball into the net after Oriel Russel's knockdown from a free-kick into the box.
This pivotal strike followed his debut goal versus Chicago Fire, where he dispatched a penalty kick in an impressive 3-0 victory. The latest win meant that Greg Vanney's team are unbeaten since the restart following a month's break in the MLS schedule for the Leagues Cup.
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The Galaxy had struggled prior to that, with their placing in the regular season standings reflecting their woes from the first half of the campaign. Despite being placed second from bottom in the division, they do have an outside chance of turning things around this term.
All eyes are now on their El Trafico derby clash against neighbours LAFC as they chase down Austin FC in the final playoffs slot. The Galaxy currently sit four points off the last qualification berth, with eight games still to play of the regular season.
Former Premier League ace Billy Sharp scored a penalty kick on his LA Galaxy debut versus Chicago Fire (Shaun Clark/Getty Images)The club's newest goalscoring hero Sharp seems to be embracing what is on the line for his team versus their local rivals in their next game, stating: "The lads have told me it’s hostile, which I quite like."
Speaking of the team's chances of making the all-important playoffs as the regular season reaches its final phase, the former Premier League ace added: "It’s in our own hands, we know what we have to do."
LA Galaxy head coach Vanney added: "There’s a lot of things that have come out of this stretch. They’ve taken a lot of punches over the course of the season, between guys getting injured and other things going on and around but they’ve remained resilient.
"We keep finding ways to get results and today, [after] the bad start, we still managed to get a result out of it. We understand though, that in the [final] stretch that one point at a time isn’t going to get us to where we need to get to."