CARSON, Calif. – Sigi Schmid says the time is now to make teams afraid of facing the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center again.
The Galaxy have slumped to their worst home record in recent memory with a 1-6-4 mark this season. Their last home victory coming way back on April 7 when they defeated 10-men Montreal Impact, 2-0.
Los Angeles return home on Saturday when they host New York City FC in a vital match for the squad’s playoff hopes. As the Galaxy look to get their first home win in more than four months, Schmid says his team must become more balanced.
“We want to establish our home ground again. We need to regain our home-field advantage,” Schmid said. “Teams used to come and play the Galaxy and there was fear in their hearts. Now, there is not so much fear anymore. We need to get that win. In order to win a game, we need to have security in the back, but we also need to be dangerous and score goals.”
Schmid admitted that he has never been part of a team that struggled so mightily at home throughout his storied coaching tenure but felt confident that his squad could turn their fortunes around.
“In Columbus, the one year where we didn’t make the playoffs, our home record was above .500, but it wasn’t great. In our end of the season meeting, a player said if we had won one more home game then we would have been in the playoffs Establishing your ability at home is really important,” Schmid said. “If you could reverse those records, even if our home record is a .500 record, you’d probably reverse them. We want people to come into this building and be afraid. We want them to know that this is going to be a really tough game.
“We need to win games,” Schmid said. “At the end of the day, all that reestablishes that confidence and that fear is to win games.”
