Joseph Paintsil: LA Galaxy coach blames opponent’s tactics for winger’s ineffectiveness

Following LA Galaxy’s 2-0 loss to Austin FC in a recent Major League Soccer (MLS) game, head coach Greg Vanney shed light on some of the team’s struggles, particularly highlighting the performance of Joseph Paintsil.

In their sixth away game of the season, Galaxy failed to find the back of the net for the first time, resulting in a frustrating outing for the team.

Paintsil, who played the entire duration of the game, faced difficulties in making a significant impact.

Vanney discussed the challenges faced by the team, particularly in terms of spacing, which hindered their ability to create scoring opportunities.

“I was just trying to shift some of our bodies around and see if we could speed up somethings and try to use Joe’s (Joseph Paintsil) quickness between those center backs and try something a little different to unlock some situations. They ended up so deep that there wasn’t a ton of space to work with some of our quicker guys.”

Despite Paintsil’s efforts, which included completing one successful dribble and registering two shots on target, Galaxy ultimately fell short in their attempts to secure a positive result.

The defeat comes on the heels of Galaxy’s previous victory over San Jose Earthquake, highlighting the team’s inconsistency in recent performances.

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Paintsil, who has enjoyed a promising start to his MLS career with four goals and four assists in 10 league games, will look to bounce back from the setback as Galaxy aim to regain momentum in their upcoming fixtures.

The Black Stars forward joined the MLS recently from the Belgium Pro League where he featured for Genk.

Issues with documents hindered him from honouring the recent call-up for Ghana’s March assignments. Given his recent performances, he is, however, expected to return to the team ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.