New Travel Plans Keep Galaxy Fresh

Since his arrival from UCLA in May, Coach Sigi Schmid has turned the Galaxy from a struggling team to the Western Conference leader and perhaps the hottest team in MLS.

But for all the on-field improvements Schmid has spearheaded, a simple change in practice routine has been perhaps as big a reason as any for the Galaxy’s turnaround.

Tired of seeing road games turn into nightmares because finding time to practice the day before was a near impossibility, Schmid drew up a new warmup schedule. His team now practices in Los Angeles the morning before the game, showers, then flies out. Now, unforeseen travel problems don’t affect the team’s practice time.

The result?

A 3-1 record in the last four road games.

The Galaxy (18-9) used that tactic again Friday, practicing at Loyola Marymount before leaving for Denver and tonight’s game against the Rapids (17-9), an opportunity for the Galaxy to widen its five-point lead over Colorado in the Western Conference.

“It helps eliminate those things that happen on the road,” Schmid said of his practice-schedule change. “It gets the work out of their system and helps to relax the team. Sometimes after a tough long flight, before we eat or before we go to the [hotel], we have to go out and practice.”

And sometimes conditions were worse than that.

On a trip to New England in July, the Galaxy arrived late Friday night for a Sunday game. The flight had been delayed and when the team arrived at its hotel near midnight, door keys didn’t work in some rooms. By the time that problem was remedied, it was 2 a.m. The next day, the bus to take the team from the hotel to Foxboro Stadium for practice never showed and the practice session had to be cut almost in half.

On the last trip to Colorado, in late July, the team didn’t get onto the Mile High Stadium field until game time.

Another flight delay meant late arrival, by which time enough rain had accumulated to keep the Galaxy from taking the field.

Forward Clint Mathis said not having to worry about practice shortly after landing in a city has been the players’ favorite part of the change.

“When you get off the plane, you’re tired,” he said. “Now you don’t have to get off the plane and go straight to practice.”

Mathis also said the improved road play late in this season has the team confident for the playoffs.

“Coming into the end of this season, we’re in more of a groove,” he said. “And playing well on the road is critical for the playoffs.”