COLUMBUS, Ohio – The LA Galaxy are winless in their last nine MLS matches, and things aren’t getting any easier for them.
Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew SC kept them without a victory since June 21, and it also added defender Ashley Cole to the heap of unavailable LA players after he was red-carded for an early challenge. That leaves the Galaxy without another important piece for Heineken Rivalry Week, when they host the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday (7 pm ET | FS1; MLS LIVE in Canada) at the Stubhub Center, where LA have won just once this season.
New Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid believes his team is “playing better soccer” since he took the reins in July, but admitted he’s battling to keep the squad afloat on several fronts.
“The difficult thing is that with all the injuries and so forth, we never have the same unit on the field together,” Schmid said. “It’s also a situation with the overall strength of the team. When you eliminate some of the top players, are we strong enough with the guys who step in?”
Long-term injuries still have Robbie Rogers, Sebastian Lletget and Baggio Husidic sidelined for LA, while Schmid said, “We’ll see,” as to whether the short-term absences for Giovani Dos Santos or Jermaine Jones could come to an end this weekend.
Schmid also said Jonathan Dos Santos is “still trying to get fit,” which may prompt him to “be a little careful” with the midfielder.
But the LA coach seemed to suggest that the team’s mentality is a bigger issue. He said “elementary mistakes” are costing them points, and questioned whether the team can find a source of leadership.
“Last year, the team had a great leader in Robbie Keane,” Schmid said. “Right now, there’s a little bit of a void, especially down the middle of the field. You need guys to step up and say, ‘Hey, I’m in charge here.’”
For the veteran coach, the skill to take charge can’t be taught. He said players “either have it or don’t have it.” And on a team with a mix of experienced veterans and young players, the time to emerge as a leader should be now.
“You either have that willingness to direct others or you don’t want to direct others,” he said. “At the end of the day, sometimes that makes the difference and determines how good a career somebody has.
“They’ve played enough games. When you look at the guys and you look at their pedigree and background, they’ve played enough games. Some guys have done very well in supporting roles, but now their role has changed and they’ve got to be leaders. That hasn’t necessarily fallen into place.”
