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Monday MLS Breakdown: LA Galaxy Seek Return To Form
Complacency and diminished contributions have impacted results.
Aug 30, 2010 5:34:00 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
As Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena contemplated the reasons for the Galaxy's 2-0 home defeat to Kansas City on Saturday night, he focused on one glaring issue.
“We were outcompeted,” Arena told reporters after the match. “I wouldn’t say it is a lack of effort. I think there is an edge an athlete has to have and tonight, at too many positions, they made a few more plays that add up to make a difference over 90 minutes.”
The answer fit the tone and tenor of this particular match – one rather markedly tilted in favor of the Wizards from start to finish – and the overarching theme of the past two months perfectly, but it doesn't comprehensively address the growing concern around the Galaxy's form as of late.
After rampaging through MLS prior to the World Cup break, Los Angeles has stumbled to a 3-4-2 mark since the league returned from the two-week interlude in June. While it isn't altogether unexpected to see the Western Conference frontrunners stumble a bit as the summer progresses, the pervasive nature of the Galaxy's problems registers as a considerable surprise.
Much of the attention centers upon the Galaxy's sudden inability to keep the opposition off the board in the opening stages of the contest. In four of its past five games, Los Angeles has conceded the opening goal within the first 12 minutes. A record of 0-3-1 in those matches (and the 0-5-1 overall mark after conceding first) betrays the Galaxy's general inefficiency when playing from behind and suggests a fair bit of complacency within the ranks, but it does not altogether explain away the issues or show how interrelated the concerns are at this point.
Like most sides designed to thrive on the counterattack, the Galaxy relies on a firm defensive core as the basis for its success. The core, however, is cracked at the moment. The defensive solidity exhibited earlier in the campaign has yielded to a somewhat rickety rearguard plagued by a lack of concentration at points and a lack of communication on the whole. Gregg Berhalter's absence due to a virus certainly hasn't helped matters, but the rather soft goals conceded on Saturday night and in recent weeks should serve as a source of concern with or without the veteran organizer in the side.
Similar issues permeate through the midfield ranks. Los Angeles isn't a side constructed to treasure possession, but the Galaxy midfield passed the ball significantly better and provided more cutting service earlier in the season. The lack of cadence has blunted the counterattack, limited the ability to create space and opportunities in the attacking third and ushered in a more direct approach far too often. The stumbles in possession have also led to a reduced measure of support for the back four.
With the defense caving and the midfield flailing, the Galaxy has relied far too much on Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan to bear the burden going forward. The tactic may have worked earlier during the duo's scintillating start to the campaign, but Los Angeles truly thrived when other players assumed some of the attacking responsibility. The aid has vanished during the recent downturn. In its past seven games, the Galaxy has scored seven times with Donovan notching four of those goals and Buddle tallying the other three.
Opposing defenses have noticed the lack of supplemental support and have adjusted their tactics accordingly to limit Buddle's influence on the game. By sending two and sometimes three defenders to collapse on Buddle with some regularity, opposing teams have left Donovan to search for other options with limited success. Conceding an early goal only makes the task more difficult by allowing teams to sit deep and throw extra bodies behind the ball. As Kansas City showed at points on Saturday night, it is a tactic that can secure some success.
Avoiding similar results in the future will require an uptick in performance from the supporting cast at both ends of the park. Arena has assembled a deep ensemble of players to complement Buddle and Donovan. When the Galaxy stormed through the league, different players – from veterans like Jovan Kirovski and Mike Magee to younger standouts like Tristan Bowen and Michael Stephens – stepped up at different points to carry the day offensively as the defense kept things tight at the back. Those contributions have dried up in recent weeks with the collective dip in form and must resume in order to return to normal service.
David Beckham's imminent return should also address some of the current issues. It may appear altogether unfair to heap expectations on a player still recovering from Achilles surgery in March, but Beckham's importance to the Galaxy's postseason hopes cannot be understated. By providing a reliable touchstone to foster productive possession in midfield and supplying Buddle and Donovan with tantalizing service in the attacking third, Beckham can create space for others and supplement an already strong squad with an influential and novel option.
But, as Donovan noted after the Galaxy's third loss in four matches, the road to recovery starts by rectifying the complacency concerns highlighted by Arena and exposed by the Wizards.
“The good thing is that we have a pretty clear blueprint about what works and what doesn’t,” Donovan said. “If we go back and look at all our games this year – minus one or two games where you get a little lucky or you don’t have a little luck – when we compete well, when we defend well, when we are organized, more often than not we win or get points out of games. And when we don’t, we lose. We need to get back to that again next week. Maybe we were a little complacent tonight and we got punished for it.”
With FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake lurking within striking distance at the top of the Western Conference, Los Angeles will have to address those concerns quickly in order to ensure its temporary indiscretions do not transform into permanent hindrances in the quest for MLS Cup.
Five Points – Week 22
1. Road-tested FCD breaks road mark with gutsy draw: FC Dallas set a new MLS record by extending its road unbeaten run to ten matches (3-0-7) with a 0-0 draw at Columbus on Saturday afternoon. It took a couple of timely goal line interventions and a hefty dose of slogging in a rather ugly match, but FCD emerged from Crew Stadium with the result required to earn a permanent place in the record book and prolong its unblemished run to 12 matches (7-0-5).
2. Who is this guy and what has he done with Dane Richards?: Richards scored a fine solo goal and provided the service for Thierry Henry's maiden MLS goal as New York dismissed San Jose 2-0 on Saturday night. The Jamaican international has hit a fine patch of form over the past month or so, but the key will be finding a way to turn these impressive performances into a series of consistent submissions over a longer period of time. Richards hasn't done it in the past, but he hasn't had Henry and Rafa Marquez to set him free before either.
3. There's still time for Justin Mapp, too: Mapp climbed off the bench to spark Philadelphia to a 2-1 victory against 10-man New England on Saturday night. Mapp's primary contributions – a deft feed to prompt Jack McInerney's instinctive equalizer and a smartly taken one-timer to seal the points in second-half stoppage time – once again revealed he possesses more than enough talent to influence matches. One can only hope the 26-year-old finally discovers the application and the desire required to do so with some frequency.
4. Hesitating when the whistle blows, part II: Houston made Los Angeles' slow start look like a dart from the gate by conceding the opener after two minutes and shipping three goals within the first 23 minutes in a 3-0 defeat at Colorado. Lovel Palmer's red card after ten minutes probably played some part in the hasty demise, but the Dynamo were well and truly up against it from the start and simply crumbled when reduced to ten men.
5. There's one superlative MVP candidate at the moment and he plays in Seattle: Can any side stop Fredy Montero at the moment? Chicago certainly couldn't as Montero scored twice – including the decisive header in second-half stoppage time – to give Sounders FC a 2-1 victory. While Montero should rightfully credit a pair of wonderful crosses from Tyson Wahl and Nathan Sturgis for setting the table for his brace, he should also take a bow for his stunning combination of composure, movement and ruthlessness on his first goal.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
As Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena contemplated the reasons for the Galaxy's 2-0 home defeat to Kansas City on Saturday night, he focused on one glaring issue.
“We were outcompeted,” Arena told reporters after the match. “I wouldn’t say it is a lack of effort. I think there is an edge an athlete has to have and tonight, at too many positions, they made a few more plays that add up to make a difference over 90 minutes.”
The answer fit the tone and tenor of this particular match – one rather markedly tilted in favor of the Wizards from start to finish – and the overarching theme of the past two months perfectly, but it doesn't comprehensively address the growing concern around the Galaxy's form as of late.
After rampaging through MLS prior to the World Cup break, Los Angeles has stumbled to a 3-4-2 mark since the league returned from the two-week interlude in June. While it isn't altogether unexpected to see the Western Conference frontrunners stumble a bit as the summer progresses, the pervasive nature of the Galaxy's problems registers as a considerable surprise.
Much of the attention centers upon the Galaxy's sudden inability to keep the opposition off the board in the opening stages of the contest. In four of its past five games, Los Angeles has conceded the opening goal within the first 12 minutes. A record of 0-3-1 in those matches (and the 0-5-1 overall mark after conceding first) betrays the Galaxy's general inefficiency when playing from behind and suggests a fair bit of complacency within the ranks, but it does not altogether explain away the issues or show how interrelated the concerns are at this point.
Like most sides designed to thrive on the counterattack, the Galaxy relies on a firm defensive core as the basis for its success. The core, however, is cracked at the moment. The defensive solidity exhibited earlier in the campaign has yielded to a somewhat rickety rearguard plagued by a lack of concentration at points and a lack of communication on the whole. Gregg Berhalter's absence due to a virus certainly hasn't helped matters, but the rather soft goals conceded on Saturday night and in recent weeks should serve as a source of concern with or without the veteran organizer in the side.
Similar issues permeate through the midfield ranks. Los Angeles isn't a side constructed to treasure possession, but the Galaxy midfield passed the ball significantly better and provided more cutting service earlier in the season. The lack of cadence has blunted the counterattack, limited the ability to create space and opportunities in the attacking third and ushered in a more direct approach far too often. The stumbles in possession have also led to a reduced measure of support for the back four.
With the defense caving and the midfield flailing, the Galaxy has relied far too much on Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan to bear the burden going forward. The tactic may have worked earlier during the duo's scintillating start to the campaign, but Los Angeles truly thrived when other players assumed some of the attacking responsibility. The aid has vanished during the recent downturn. In its past seven games, the Galaxy has scored seven times with Donovan notching four of those goals and Buddle tallying the other three.
Opposing defenses have noticed the lack of supplemental support and have adjusted their tactics accordingly to limit Buddle's influence on the game. By sending two and sometimes three defenders to collapse on Buddle with some regularity, opposing teams have left Donovan to search for other options with limited success. Conceding an early goal only makes the task more difficult by allowing teams to sit deep and throw extra bodies behind the ball. As Kansas City showed at points on Saturday night, it is a tactic that can secure some success.
Avoiding similar results in the future will require an uptick in performance from the supporting cast at both ends of the park. Arena has assembled a deep ensemble of players to complement Buddle and Donovan. When the Galaxy stormed through the league, different players – from veterans like Jovan Kirovski and Mike Magee to younger standouts like Tristan Bowen and Michael Stephens – stepped up at different points to carry the day offensively as the defense kept things tight at the back. Those contributions have dried up in recent weeks with the collective dip in form and must resume in order to return to normal service.
David Beckham's imminent return should also address some of the current issues. It may appear altogether unfair to heap expectations on a player still recovering from Achilles surgery in March, but Beckham's importance to the Galaxy's postseason hopes cannot be understated. By providing a reliable touchstone to foster productive possession in midfield and supplying Buddle and Donovan with tantalizing service in the attacking third, Beckham can create space for others and supplement an already strong squad with an influential and novel option.
But, as Donovan noted after the Galaxy's third loss in four matches, the road to recovery starts by rectifying the complacency concerns highlighted by Arena and exposed by the Wizards.
“The good thing is that we have a pretty clear blueprint about what works and what doesn’t,” Donovan said. “If we go back and look at all our games this year – minus one or two games where you get a little lucky or you don’t have a little luck – when we compete well, when we defend well, when we are organized, more often than not we win or get points out of games. And when we don’t, we lose. We need to get back to that again next week. Maybe we were a little complacent tonight and we got punished for it.”
With FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake lurking within striking distance at the top of the Western Conference, Los Angeles will have to address those concerns quickly in order to ensure its temporary indiscretions do not transform into permanent hindrances in the quest for MLS Cup.
Five Points – Week 22
1. Road-tested FCD breaks road mark with gutsy draw: FC Dallas set a new MLS record by extending its road unbeaten run to ten matches (3-0-7) with a 0-0 draw at Columbus on Saturday afternoon. It took a couple of timely goal line interventions and a hefty dose of slogging in a rather ugly match, but FCD emerged from Crew Stadium with the result required to earn a permanent place in the record book and prolong its unblemished run to 12 matches (7-0-5).
2. Who is this guy and what has he done with Dane Richards?: Richards scored a fine solo goal and provided the service for Thierry Henry's maiden MLS goal as New York dismissed San Jose 2-0 on Saturday night. The Jamaican international has hit a fine patch of form over the past month or so, but the key will be finding a way to turn these impressive performances into a series of consistent submissions over a longer period of time. Richards hasn't done it in the past, but he hasn't had Henry and Rafa Marquez to set him free before either.
3. There's still time for Justin Mapp, too: Mapp climbed off the bench to spark Philadelphia to a 2-1 victory against 10-man New England on Saturday night. Mapp's primary contributions – a deft feed to prompt Jack McInerney's instinctive equalizer and a smartly taken one-timer to seal the points in second-half stoppage time – once again revealed he possesses more than enough talent to influence matches. One can only hope the 26-year-old finally discovers the application and the desire required to do so with some frequency.
4. Hesitating when the whistle blows, part II: Houston made Los Angeles' slow start look like a dart from the gate by conceding the opener after two minutes and shipping three goals within the first 23 minutes in a 3-0 defeat at Colorado. Lovel Palmer's red card after ten minutes probably played some part in the hasty demise, but the Dynamo were well and truly up against it from the start and simply crumbled when reduced to ten men.
5. There's one superlative MVP candidate at the moment and he plays in Seattle: Can any side stop Fredy Montero at the moment? Chicago certainly couldn't as Montero scored twice – including the decisive header in second-half stoppage time – to give Sounders FC a 2-1 victory. While Montero should rightfully credit a pair of wonderful crosses from Tyson Wahl and Nathan Sturgis for setting the table for his brace, he should also take a bow for his stunning combination of composure, movement and ruthlessness on his first goal.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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