Following Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids, the Los Angeles Galaxy find themselves in uncharted waters.
The loss -- the second 1-0 defeat by the Rapids in 11 days -- left the Galaxy tied for last place with Chivas USA (who have played three fewer games), and as a result they have now gone eight hours without scoring a goal. At the bottom of the league rankings in goals scored (six) and goals allowed (16) is new enough, but for a club that has made the playoffs every single season since the inception of MLS, being out of the playoff picture is almost unthinkable.
Still, the Galaxy aren't feeling sorry for themselves. In fact, the team seems to be using their current position in the standings as a rallying cry. Can the Galaxy use the fact that they sit in last place as a motivational tool?
"I think so," said Galaxy head coach Steve Sampson. "None of us are familiar with this position. We know that a good result would change that quickly."
Sampson is right. While FC Dallas continues to add space between themselves and the rest of the pack, the remainder of the conference is tightly bunched. The Galaxy are just one point behind of Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot, and the second-place Rapids and Houston Dynamo are just seven points ahead.
Galaxy fullback Todd Dunivant said he feels as though that might be part of the problem. The longer that Los Angeles stays in the mix, the easier it is for him, and his teammates, to lose sight of the fact that they are simply playing poorly right now.
"If other teams lose while we're losing, you can look at it like we're still battling for it. But we're playing bad right now," said Dunivant. "We're in last place. There's a reason why we are, and we need to get out of there."
The prevailing sentiment in Los Angeles so far has been one of 'look at last season.' The Galaxy proved that all a team had to do was make the playoffs, and anything is possible. After a mediocre regular season by Galaxy standards, the team hobbled into the playoffs as the eighth-best team in the playoffs before making an improbable run to an MLS Cup.
For Dunivant, being in last place right now might be the wake-up call the team needs to understand that last season is over.
"I don't know if this organization has ever been in (last place). To be honest, I think it's a good thing," said Dunivant. "We can't have anything gloss over our situation right now."
The situation simply is this: a loss this weekend at Houston, and the Galaxy will be in even newer circumstances, setting a club record with a sixth consecutive defeat. If they fail to score a goal, they will set an MLS record for offensive futility, just 77 minutes behind the mark set by Real Salt Lake last year -- as an expansion club.
Much has been made about the loss of Landon Donovan to the U.S. national team for the World Cup. The unfortunate truth for Los Angeles is that the MLS season still motors on through the tournament, and the current cast of characters in the Southland is going to have to find a way to change their fortunes without their star performer.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
