CARSON — Mark Delgado wanted to win so bad, he thinks that’s the reason he cramped up Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
In the 69th minute of the 25th edition of El Trafico, Delgado, 30, was forced to do the last thing he would have wanted in his return to the building where he won the MLS Cup last November with the Galaxy.
Not play.
“It was disappointing, man,” Delgado said following the 2-2 draw. “I was so fired up, so angry to come off with cramps. It came out of nowhere, honestly, I thought I prepped really well.
“If I didn’t cramp, I think we win.”
For the final half hour (with more than 10 minutes of stoppage time), the 14-year Major League Soccer veteran could only watch as the team he plays for now, the Los Angeles Football Club, gave up a late goal on a Marco Reus free kick to end the derby with one point instead of three.
“I was just trying to help guys. Get guys going. Screaming from the sideline trying to help out in some sort of way because I knew if I was still out there that we would still have control of the game, and possession, and cover ground like I always do. And I think I was winning a lot of second balls, where they usually thrive, but I think I was cutting those off where [Gabriel] Pec was getting frustrated. They didn’t have no f’ing idea what to do, honestly.
“I wanted to win so bad, but I think that played a part in my cramps. I think I was too tense out there. I don’t know.”
Last Friday, his 30th birthday, Delgado visited DHSP to pick up his 2024 MLS championship ring. The moment was featured on social media the day before the match, which Delgado said wasn’t part of the plan as he understood it. That bothered him, even if he did receive a welcome reaction from Galaxy fans prior to the match.
Traded by the Galaxy to LAFC before the current season, Delgado is the only player in MLS history who has suited up for each of the teams that represented Los Angeles, starting as a teenager with Chivas USA, spending the last three years with the Galaxy, and now the Black & Gold.
For much of his career, including Chivas, the Galaxy and Toronto FC, Delgado was a reliable performer that Greg Vanney grew to appreciate and admire.
From his position on the sideline, the Galaxy head coach wasn’t focused on Delgado. Understandably, his attention was directed toward his winless-in-14-games side, but the scrappy midfielder from Glendora inevitably did what he does, including an assist on Denis Bouanga’s first-half goal.
“It’s crazy he just turned 30 a couple days ago, so it’s pretty much been half of his life we’ve spent in some way shape or form as a person,” Vanney said. “He’s grown so much as a player and as a person.”
Under Vanney, with him Delgado won a pair of MLS titles, he was someone who created space for others and made more runs behind defenders.
“Very much having a partnership with the triangle — myself, the winger and outside back on my side where we’re rotating a lot,” Delgado said. “A lot of free flow. But here is more of a stay at home, don’t get crossed up too much, and stay more connected.
In four months with LAFC, Delgado came to the understanding that his role is best thought of as “less is more.”
Compared to the years he spent in Vanney’s system, including more than 100 games with the Galaxy, that’s undeniable and it required an adjustment.
“I’ve been able to take in the information they’ve shown me and given me and really tried to show that on the field. They’ve been pleased with it so I’m happy.”
Not as happy as he hoped for when his first El Trafico in an LAFC uniform ended early.
“This disappointment is something good, in my point of view, something good to have that is always there and you don’t want to have again,” Delgado said. “So you push for better. You push the level. Hopefully, everyone feels the same way.”
