Sigi Schmid made his return to the LA Galaxy sidelines on Satruday night.
By Ivan Yeo
It was definitely a different atmosphere at StubHub Center on Saturday night.
A new head coach was on the Galaxy sidelines, a new player made his debut on the LA backline, and the mood was a little more optimistic in the stands. The Galaxy certainly displayed a renewed energy on the pitch in a nationally televised match against archrival Seattle, and while it didn’t get the three points, the Galaxy did put an end to a five-match losing streak in Sigi Schmid’s return as head coach in its scoreless draw with the Sounders.
I thought we did a good job defending,” Schmid said. “The game got open in the second half but on the same token we had a couple of good chances. Our offense will get better, but I was happy with the effort and the fight that everyone put in for each other.”
The vibe at StubHub Center was certainly positive before the match. Schmid walked out of the tunnel to a standing ovation from the fans, and Schmid returned the favor, clapping back as he made his way to the bench, and the positivity carried over into the field. The Galaxy looked like the more livelier team, the team that had more energy and more of a purpose. The Galaxy had more possession on the ball and were more organized defensively, limiting Seattle’s chances in the fist half to a point that its only real good look at goal was a Clint Dempsey bicycle kick just before halftime that was easily saved by Rowe.
The Galaxy then ratcheted up the offense in the second half, having as many as four great scoring chances in the half, but a combination of bad luck in the final third and the alert play of keeper Stefan Frei, who saved three of those chances, kept the Galaxy from finding the back of the net. Still, the Galaxy can take away some satisfaction from getting the point considering its recent form and the fact that they have struggled mightily at home this season.
“It felt like we were very alive,” Zardes said. “We had numerous opportunities. We had a game plan and we stuck to it.”
It’s been a whirlwind week for the Galaxy. Its struggles this season have been well documented and the coaching change was perhaps the icing on the cake for the turbulence. Saturday night’s match however offered Galaxy fans a glimpse of hope as the second half gets underway. LA has dealt with a rash of injuries and national team callups, but now, the Galaxy are starting to get back to full strength. Zardes is back from Gold Cup duty for the USMNT, Giovani Dos Santos has been back for a while after representing Mexico in the Confederations Cup, brother Jonathan Dos Santos is on his way and should be an impact player in the Galaxy midfield, Pele Van Anholt turned in a solid performance at right back and Daniel Steres and Jermaine Jones are rounding back into form after spending time on the injured list.
“I think whenever you change a manager the next game you either win or you play well so that’s how things happened today,” Cole said. “We’ve got a long way to go. It was fine for the players, but so far so good.”
Also, MLS history has indicated that a team can be bad during the first half of the season, but all it takes is one big acquisition in the Summer transfer window can change the team’s fortunes quickly, with the most recent example staring the Galaxy on the opposite end of the field Saturday. Obviously we’ll have to see how things play out, but Saturday night’s match was surely the first step for the Galaxy to get things back on track.
