The Los Angeles Galaxy are running out of time to make a dash up the Western Conference standings.
The defending MLS champion Galaxy have won just 5 percent of their matches this season entering Friday’s clash against the Vancouver Whitecaps in Carson, Calif.
MLS-worst Los Angeles (1-13-6, 9 points) has earned points in three of its last four matches (1-1-2) — the Galaxy tied the San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 at Stanford Stadium last Saturday — but the hole is particularly deep.
“I think we have to look at every game as of the utmost importance,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney told reporters. “I look at the last eight games, since the New York game (a 7-0 loss on May 10), five of those were on the road. I feel like we squandered nine points in those games.
“I think we should have taken 15 because we were either in leading positions in the last minutes of the game or in the event of the other night,” he continued, “we had eight big chances that we don’t take and I feel like we’ve got to figure out as a group and understand, as a group, to take the points that we deserve on the night.”
Los Angeles fell behind early against San Jose before Marco Reus scored the equalizer in the 70th minute. Reus has four goals and is tied for the team lead with Christian Ramirez.
The Galaxy look to avenge a 2-1 loss at Vancouver on March 2. Whitecaps star Brian White scored the winner in the 87th minute of that match. White has a team-high 10 goals.
Vancouver (11-3-5, 38 points) resides in second place in the West after losing consecutive games to the Columbus Crew and San Diego FC last month.
Vancouver continues to play without star Ryan Gauld due to a knee injury. Gauld scored 30 goals over the past three MLS seasons. He had one in three matches this season but last played on March 8.
Progress has been extremely slow but Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen maintains hope the midfielder will return later this season.
“I will not expect him to be out for the season,” Sorensen told reporters. “We hope that he’ll be back sooner than later, but we’ve said that many times. I can’t say anything really decisive about it.”
This is the Whitecaps’ second game in Los Angeles in six days. Vancouver beat LAFC 1-0 last Sunday. Emmanuel Sabbi scored the goal in the 20th minute.
–Field Level Media
