IRVINE, Calif. – The LA Galaxy sit less than two weeks from their MLS regular season opener and according to head coach Sigi Schmid, there is still plenty of work to be done this preseason.
Los Angeles dropped a 4-2 result to the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday at Orange County Great Park in Irvine. Ola Kamara notched a brace, but the Galaxy’s defense struggled as San Jose repeatedly capitalized on defensive miscues by the home squad.
Following the match, Schmid candidly remarked that he didn’t “give a crap what the final score was,” but said that his team needed to learn from their performance.
“I think last year the team was [nearly] undefeated in preseason, but it didn’t mean anything,” Schmid said referencing the Galaxy’s 2-1-1 preseason in 2017. “Right now, we're 2-2 this preseason; I think we've shown in every game that we can score goals or at least come close. Ultimately, it’s good to see Ola score, but we have to be better defensively."
Schmid’s team wrap up the preseason this week with a pair of clashes against Vancouver Whitecaps FC giving the Galaxy boss two final looks at his squad before the regular season campaign.
“Physically, we're where we want to be,” Schmid said. “Offensively, I was happy with what we created. Defensively, there are things we need to sort out. A lot of it is winning duels. Guys need to step up and win duels. We'll continue to look for guys who can do that. Those are the guys that are going to be in the lineup.”
